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in 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 

GIFT  OF 


WILLIAM  P.    WREDFJJ 


AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 


"  Oh,  who  can  tell,  save  he  whose  heart  nath  tried, 
And  danced  in  triumph  o'er  the  waters  wide, 
The  exulting  sense — the  pulse's  maddening  play 
That  thrills  the  wanderer  of  that  trackless  way  ? 
That  for  itself  can  woo  the  approaching  fight, 
And  turn  what  some  deem  danger  to  delight!" 


J* 
u 
o 

> 

en 


AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE 


A  NOVEL 


BY 


W.  CLARK    RUSSELL 

Author  of  "The  Wreck  of  the  Grosvenor,"  "The  Copsford  Mystery,' 
"My  Danish  Sweetheart,"  etc.,  etc. 


NEW  YORK 

NEW   AMSTERDAM    BOOK   COMPANY 

156  FIFTH  AVENUE 

1896 


Copyright,  1896 

BY 

New  Amsterdam  Book  Company 


s 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

INTRODUCTORY .      9 

CHAPTER  I. 
Captain  Shelvocke, 11 

\ 

CHAPTER  n. 
The  Tigkess, 18 

CHAPTER  HI. 
The  Chase  of  the  Armed  Lugger, 28 

CHAPTER  IV. 
The  Action  with  the  Corvette, 60 

CHAPTER  V. 
Cape  Antifer, 101 

CHAPTER  VI. 
An  Old  Friend, 140 

CHAPTER  VII. 
The  Droit  Maritime, .        .158 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Lady  Tempest's  Ball,     .        .        .  " 207 

CHAPTER  IX. 
To  the  West, 226 


8  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  X. 

PAGE 

The  Storm-Fiend, .       .237 

CHAPTER  XI. 
A  Strange  Vision, 259 

CHAPTER  XII. 
The  Slaver, 286 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
A  Smart  Engagement, 309 

CHAPTER  XrV. 
The  Namur, 822 

CHAPTER  XV. 
My  Passengers, 340 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
Jonathan  Again, 361 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
Fire! 390 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
H.  M.  S.  Speedwell,  .......  415 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

"I  caught  Shelvocke  (when  he  thought  himself  unperceived) 
watching  the  lad  with  great  admiration,  "—Fi-ontispiece. 

"  On  a  sudden  a  cock  crowed  out  in  the  fog,  "  .        .        .        .66 

"And  seizing  a  boarding-pike,  gave  a  drunken  shout  and 
reeled  towards  us  with  the  weapon  couched  in  the  posture 
of  charging,  " 176 

"Why  don't  they  cut  away  her  masts?"  roared  Shelvocke. 
"My  God!  she  can't  last  another  five  minutes  in  that  pos- 
ture, "    250 

"  Then  you  are  his  murderer,  sir !  his  blood  be  on  your  head  ! "  280 

"  The-  moment  the  negroes  saw  the  boat  approaching  them  their 
consternation  and  passion  were  startling  to  watch  !"  .        .  293 

"  I  am  sorry,  "  said  I,  "  but  the  engagement  has  been  a  severe 
one,  and  I  have  really  had  no  time  to  change  my  clothes, "  337 

"  I  have  been  waiting  a  long  while  for  this,  "  she  whispered,     .  421 


INTRODUCTORY. 


Few  accounts  of  brilliant  actions  at  sea  exceed  in  interest 
those  in  which  British  privately  armed  vessels  were  con- 
cerned. The  schooner  Tigress  was  a  well-known  privateer, 
and  the  name  of  Shelvocke,  who  commanded  her  down  to 
December,  1814,  stood  high  for  courage,  humanity,  and  an 
exact  conformity  to  the  terms  of  his  Government  commission. 

Only  a  portion  of  her  cruise  is  related  in  these  pages,  for 
her  chief  officer's  connection  with  her  ceased  when  he  took 
charge  of  the  Namur,  and  his  narrative  of  the  beautiful  ves- 
sel' s  exploits  is  interesting  only  so  far  as  he  was  an  eye-wit- 
ness of  them. 

Privateering  was  abolished  in  1856,  by  the  Declaration  of 
Paris,  that  is  to  say,  abolished  for  Great  Britain,  which  is 
all  of  that  Declaration  that  need  concern  Englishmen.  A 
singularly  able  treatise  on  this  subject,  entitled  "  Maritime 
Warfare,"  has  been  written  by  Mr.  Thomas  Gibson  Bowles, 
who  shows  with  such  force  of  reasoning  as  no  man  who 
chooses  to  consider  the  subject  carefully  can  resist,  that  in 
sanctioning  the  abolition  of  privateering,  Great  Britain,  as 
the  principal  maritime  power  in  the  world,  has  directly 
weakened  her  State  Navy,  by  depriving  it  of  a  valuable 
auxiliary,  and  by  forfeiting,  to  quote  Mr.  Bowles's  words, 
"  one  of  the  best  schools  for  the  formation  of  adventurous 
and  daring  sailors." 


AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

CAPTAIN  SHELVOCKE. 

It  was  on  a  day  in  the  summer  of  the  year  1812,  that  be- 
ing completely,  and  I  may  say  mercifully,  recovered  from 
a  long  and  trying  illness,  the  seeds  of  which  had  been 
planted  in  me  by  a  fever  taken  in  Bombay  twelve  months 
before,  I  left  my  lodgings  near  Charing  Cross  to  call  upon 
a  firm  of  ship-owners  whose  offices  were  in  the  City.  When 
I  was  near  Temple  Bar,  I  observed  a  man  look  me  very  full 
and  eagerly  in  the  face ;  our  eyes  met,  and  I  seemed  to  know 
him ;  but  my  mind  being  full  of  business,  I  was  walking  on 
without  giving  him  further  attention,  when  he  came  after 
me,  and  stopped  me  by  laying  his  hand  on  my  shoulder. 

"  Madison!"  cried  he,  "  why,  this  is  a  real  stroke  of  luck! 
Only  a  minute  ago  I'd  have  given  any  man  ten  pounds  to 
tell  me  how  I  might  find  you.  Where  have  you  been  lying 
hidden  all  these  months;  and  where  are  you  bound  to  now?" 

"  I  am  heartily  glad  to  see  you  again,  Captain  Shelvocke, " 
said  I,  shaking  his  hand  cordially.  "  You'll  forgive  me,  I 
hope,  for  not  immediately  making  out  the  old  lines  under 
that  big  beard.  You  have  not  forsaken  the  old  Bombay 
Castle,  I  hope,  sir?" 

"You  want  to  know  as  much  as  I  do,"  he  answered, 
laughing,  "and  I  see  there's  a  yarn  to  be  spun  on  both 
sides.  But  this  pavement  isn't  the  quarter-deck  of  a  ship, 
Madison,  and  the  cockneys  know  how  to  use  their  elbows. 
Are  you  in  a  hurry?" 

"No,  sir." 

"  Then  come  along  with  me, "  said  he,  passing  his  arm 


12  AN  OCEAN  FKEE  LANCE. 

through  mine;  and  he  led  me  across  the  road  into  a  chop- 
house,  full  of  bulkheaded  boxes  like  the  pews  of  a  church, 
and  a  table  in  each  box.  It  was  hot  in  this  place,  for  the 
ceiling  was  so  low  a  short  man  might  have  touched  it  with 
his  fingers ;  and  the  smell  of  cooked  meat  and  the  fumes  of 
candles  at  the  aftermost  end,  were  the  daylight  was  small, 
made  the  room  like  a  cockpit  in  the  tropics.  Most  of  the 
boxes  were  occupied,  but  the  place  was  quiet,  the  people 
talking  low,  and  the  attendants  moving  about  leisurely. 
We  seated  ourselves  in  an  empty  box,  and  Shelvocke  called 
for  a  couple  of  chops  and  a  pint  of  Madeira.  He  then,  with 
a  peculiar  smile,  asked  me  if  I  had  a  ship. 

"No,  sir;  but  I  am  out  on  that  very  business." 

"Have  you  been  ill?"  he  inquired. 

"Very  ill  indeed,  but,  thank  God!  I  am  sound  enough 
now." 

"  I  guessed  by  your  hands  that  you  had  been  on  the  sick- 
list,"  said  he.  "They  are  as  thin  as  a  poet's,  and,  flattery 
apart,  your  face  is  as  tallowy  as  a  Portuguee's.  So  you  are 
going  to  look  for  a  ship.     As  captain?" 

I  answered  that  if  I  was  offered  a  captain's  berth  I  cer- 
tainly should  not  refuse  it;  but  that  I  did  not  hope  to  get 
more  than  a  mate's  post  this  time.  He  looked  me  stead- 
fastly in  the  face,  and  leaning  across  the  table  and  drop- 
ping his  voice,  said : 

"  It  seems  intended  by  this  meeting  that  we  should  sail 
together.  How  would  you  relish  the  notion  of  being  mate 
of  a  privateer  under  my  command?" 

"I  should  like  nothing  better,"  I  answered  quickly. 

"  By  this  proposal,  Madison,  I  really  intend  a  compli- 
ment. You  and  I  are  old  shipmates,  and  know  each  other's 
calibre.  Shall  you  ever  forget  our  brush  in  the  Bombay 
Castle  with  the  French  picaroon?  The  recollection  of  your 
behavior  on  that  occasion  brought  you  into  my  mind  when 
this  new  command  was  given  me,  and  I  tell  you  frankly  I 
should  not  have  considered  my  complement  complete  had  I 
been  obliged  to  sail  without  you." 

I  thanked  him  for  his  good  words. 

"The  mate  I  had  intended  to  take  is  a  smartish  fellow," 
said  he,  "but  no  fighter — not  a  cur,  but  just  a  plain,  sturdy 
merchantman.     In  a  venture  of  this  kind  I  must  be  well 


CAPTAIN  SHELVOCKE.  13 

supported,  and  I  mean  to  get  a  retiring  pension  out  of  it;  I 
intend  that  the  French  and  our  old  friend  Jonathan  shall 
endow  me,  Madison,  and  your  share  should  set  you  up  as  a 
squire — a  regular,  landed,  stiff-rumped  Tory,  my  lad — with 
a  seat  in  the  House  and  strong  views  on  the  illegality  of 
privateering." 

He  filled  my  glass,  and  we  drank  to  each  other.  He  was 
in  high  spirits,  toward  which  his  meeting  with  me  had  not 
a  little  contributed.  When  I  had  sailed  with  him  in  the 
Bombay  Castle  in  1809,  he  had  worn  shoulder-of-mutton 
whiskers ;  but  he  had  since  let  his  beard  and  mustache  grow, 
and  his  face  looked  as  much  like  a  lion's  as  could  very  well 
be  imagined  of  a  human  countenance.  He  was  not  hand- 
some, though  many  persons  admired  the  rugged  strength 
and  breadth  of  his  massive  features.  His  hair  and  beard 
were  a  dark  red,  his  complexion  brown  with  sunburn,  his 
eyes  small,  gray,  and  extraordinarily  keen,  brilliant,  and 
steadfast  in  their  gaze ;  he  stood  a  fraction  over  six  feet 
high,  and  his  limbs  and  shoulders  were  in  perfect  propor- 
tion with  his  stature.  I  knew  him  to  be  a  fine  seaman,  a 
person  of  great  resolution,  and  as  brave  as  any  man  of  that 
age ;  and  the  manner  in  which  he  had  engaged  the  French 
picaroon  of  which  he  had  spoken,  his  own  ship  having  only 
sixty  men  and  mounting  four  eighteen-pound  carronades, 
while  the  enemy  had  a  crew  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  des- 
perate fellows  and  carried  three  timess  our  weight  of  metal, 
was  an  instance  of  daring  and  seamanship  which  will  not 
readily  be  matched  by  examples  drawn  from  actions  in  which 
merchantmen  were  engaged. 

"  Will  you  ask  some  questions  first?"  said  he,  "or  shall 
we  call  it  settled  without  palaver?" 

"Settled  without  palaver!"  I  exclaimed.  "I  want  no 
better  chief  than  you,  Captain  Shelvocke." 

"  So !"  said  he,  whipping  out  a  pocket-book :  "  Mr.  Julian 
Madison,  first  mate  of  the  Tigress,  pay  (so  many)  pounds  a 
month  while  at  sea  and  the  usual  share  in  prizes." 

He  scratched  this  matter  down,  replaced  the  book,  and  we 
then  turn  pel  to  and  ate  our  chops  without  further  parley. 

"Phew!"  cried  he;  "this  is  too  hot.  There  ought  to  be 
a  room  at  the  back  yonder  where  a  man  can  breathe  the  Lon- 
don air  through  a  skylight,  and  take  a  whiff  of  tobacco." 


14  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

He  got  up  and  went  down  the  room  and  through  a  door 
into  a  small  apartment.  Some  more  wine  was  brought  us, 
and  Shelvocke  drew  a  handful  of  cigars  from  his  pocket, 
real  Cuban  leaf,  and  exquisitely  aromatic.  After  he  had 
asked  me  several  questions  about  the  voyages  I  had  taken 
since  I  left  the  Bombay  Castle,  and  the  nature  of  my  ill- 
ness, and  if  I  stood  in  need  of  money,  he  said  that,  in  con- 
sequence of  having  lost  three  very  valuable  cargoes,  which 
had  been  seized  by  French  privateers,  Mr.  Wilson  Hannay, 
the  head  of  the  firm  of  Hannay,  Meadows  &  Son,  of  East 
India  Avenue,  had  purchased  a  brand-new,  extremely  beau- 
tiful and  powerful  vessel  of  three  hundred  and  twenty-three 
tons  burden,  and  rigged  her  as  a  schooner,  and  armed  her 
with  some  very  heavy  metal  for  a  craft  of  her  size.  She 
was  called  the  Tigress,  and  her  lines  had  been  laid  for 
blockade-running,  though  it  was  believed  that  she  had  been 
built  for  the  Dey  of  Algiers,  and  her  scantling  resembled  a 
frigate's.  It  was  expected  that  she  would  not  only  prove 
the  fastest  thing  afloat,  but  one  of  the  most  weatherly. 

"  However,"  said  Shelvocke,  "  you  will  be  seeing  her  soon, 
and  then  you  can  judge  for  yourself.  If  I  can  only  get  out 
of  her  two-thirds  of  the  speed  her  lines  promise,  Hannay 
shall  admit  that  he  never  invested  money  more  wisely  than 
when  he  brought  her." 

"How  many  men  do  you  carry?" 

"Ninety;  and  there's  room  for  a  hundred  and  fifty.  I 
have  four  mates — yourself,  first;  Silas  Chestree,  second; 
Buck  Tapping,  third;  and  Philip  Peacock,  fourth.  Do 
you  know  any  of  these  men?" 

"No." 

"  They  are  all  smart  seamen,  and  have  seen  rough  ser- 
vice. In  work  of  this  kind  you  want  good  navigators  and 
plucky  fellows  for  the  prizes." 

"When  do  you  sail,  sir?" 

"  On  Monday  next,  from  the  West  India  Docks,  stopping 
at  Erith  to  take  in  our  powder.  There  has  been  some  delay 
over  the  letter  of  marque,  for  the  Admiralty  people  are  grow- 
ing scrupulous,  and  the  description  of  the  vessel  had  to  be 
altered,  for  Hannay  meant  at  first  to  equip  her  with  ten 
eighteens;  but  I  prevailed  upon  him  to  substitute  four 
forty-two  pound  carronades  for  close  action,  and  a  couple  of 


CAPTAIN  SHELVOCKE.  15 

heavy  chasers.  The  whole  adventure  is  the  result  of  Han- 
nay's  rage  over  the  loss  of  his  ships.  'See  here,  Shel- 
vocke, '  said  he,  when  he  offered  me  the  command  of  the 
Tigress,  'a  letter  of  marque,  you  know,  means  reprisals, 
and  my  motive  in  equipping  this  vessel  is  that  she  may  sink 
or  blow  up  or  capture  as  many  French  and  Yankee  mer- 
chantmen as  she  can  overhaul.  I  don't  want  any  man-of- 
war  work  done.  Give  your  heels  to  the  cruisers,  and  leave 
the  forts  to  the  admirals.  I  wish  you  to  make  the  enemy's 
pocket  smart;  and  I  shall  be  as  well  pleased  to  hear  of  the 
vessels  you  have  sunk  or  burnt  as  of  the  vessels  you  have 
brought  in  as  prizes." 

"Kather  vindictive!"  said,  I  laughing. 

"  Ay, "  he  answered,  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye ;  "  but  if 
the  enemy's  pocket  is  to  smart  it  must  be  done  by  filling 
ours;  and  if  we  can  see  our  way  to  enlarge  the  King's  fleet 
by  the  addition  of  a  sloop  or  two,  we'll  make  the  venture, 
Madison." 

"  Have  you  any  particular  cruising-ground  in  your  mind, 
sir?" 

"I  shall  hang  about  the  Channel  for  a  spell,  and  see 
what's  to  be  got  there.  Some  pickings  ought  to  be  found 
between  Grisnez  and  Ushant.  But  the  Bahama  latitudes 
will  be  our  later  haunt,  for  the  cotton  ships  bring  a  good 
bit  of  money."  He  then  said  that  the  tide  would  serve 
early  on  Monday  morning,  and  that  I  need  not  be  aboard 
before  Sunday  night. 

The  prospect  of  a  cruise  of  this  description  pleased  me 
greatly.  My  life  had  been  passed  in  the  merchant-service; 
and  over  and  over  again,  when  news  of  our  brilliant  suc- 
cesses at  sea  had  reached  me,  I  had  groaned  in  spirit  over 
the  humdrum  monotony  of  my  seafaring  experiences,  the 
feeble  chances  they  offered  me  of  enriching  myself  or  im- 
proving my  position,  and  regretted  that  my  father  had  not 
stuck  to  his  original  intention  of  entering  me  as  a  midship- 
man in  the  Navy  instead  of  apprenticing  me  to  a  merchant 
captain. 

Indeed,  this  was  a  period  in  the  history  of  the  Navy  when 
merit  and  courage  had  chances  such  as  had  never  before 
offered.  In  every  direction  officers  were  being  promoted 
and  decorated;  prize-money  was  enriching  hundreds,  and 


16  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

laying  the  foundation  of  future  fortunes;  the  Gazettes  were 
choked  with  the  records  of  brilliant  deeds  and  the  nation 
was  filled  with  heroes.  But  these  distinctions,  as  regards 
the  sea,  were  limited  to  the  Navy.  Now  and  again,  it  is 
true,  the  master  of  a  merchantman  who  had  gallantly 
fought  his  ship  against  heavy  odds  would  receive  a  purse 
of  money  or  a  piece  of  plate ;  but  a  great  number  of  heroic 
exploits,  which,  had  they  been  performed  by  naval  officers, 
would  have  earned  them  the  thanks  of  the  country  and  have 
loaded  them  with  civic  gifts  and  courtly  honors,  were  un- 
noticed, and  the  only  satisfaction  these  brave  men  received 
was  the  applause  of  their  own  conscience. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  but  little  glory  attached  to  the  ac- 
tions of  privateers  there  was  a  great  deal  of  money  to  be 
made  by  that  kind  of  work,  and  the  life  included  all  the 
dash  and  romance  of  the  naval  service  without  its  biting  re- 
straints. A  privateersman  owned  only  his  captain  as  mas- 
ter. He  fought  for  himself,  but  in  fighting  for  himself  he 
also  fought  for  the  British  colors:  and  I  am  bold  enough  to 
say  that  not  a  little  of  the  influence  exercised  by  the  "  meteor 
flag"  on  the  minds  and  nerves  of  the  enemies  of  Great  Brit- 
ain was  owing  to  the  spirit  and  bravery  of  the  English  pri- 
vateers of  that  age. 

Shelvocke  and  I  sat  for  an  hour  talking  of  our  chances  in 
the  Tigress,  and  of  the  declaration  of  war  against  this 
country  by  the  United  States  of  America,  the  news  of  which 
had  not  long  reached  England.  It  was  generally  believed 
that  there  was  more  swagger  than  boldness  in  this  declara- 
tion, and  Congress  were  only  courting  a  terrible  punishment. 
But  Shelvocke  did  not  take  this  view. 

"It's  not  fashionable,"  said  he,  "and  it  certainly,  would- 
n't be  thought  patriotic  in  an  Englishman  to  speak  a  good 
word  for  the  Yankees ;  but  I  am  not  going  to  be  led  away 
by  prejudice.  Mark  what  I  say — the  Americans  will  not 
be  swallowed  up  quite  so  easily  as  we  true  Britons  imagine. 
The  way  in  which  they  turned  us  out  of  their  country  and 
beat  our  ships  in  the  last  war  shows  the  sort  of  marrow 
they've  got  in  their  bones.  To  see  a  little  cock,  fresh  and 
yellow  from  his  shell,  sparring  up  to,  aye,  and  cornering  a 
tough  old  rogue  like  John  Bull  is  something  to  make  one  re- 
flective.    We  shall  be  hearing  'Yankee  Doodle'  piped  well 


CAPTAIN  SHELVOCKE.  1? 

to  the  east'ard  of  the  Start  before  many  weeks  are  over; 
and  now  that  war  is  declared,  I  don't  mind  owning  that  I 
am  thankful  my  estate  is  not  in  English  bottoms." 

He  got  up  after  thus  expressing  himself,  and  appointing 
an  hour  for  me  to  meet  him  next  morning  at  the  offices  in 
East  India  Avenue,  he  shook  me  heartily  by  the  hand,  and 
we  parted. 
2 


CHAPTER  II. 


THE     "TIGRESS." 


I  was  much  gratified  by  the  eagerness  with  which  Shel- 
vocke  had  offered  me  a  berth  under  him,  and  the  pleasure 
my  acceptance  of  it  gave  him.  And  so  far  as  I  was  con- 
cerned, my  meeting  with  him  was  extremely  opportune,  for, 
though  I  could  still  lay  my  hand  on  a  little  ready  money, 
my  illness  had  brought  the  locker  low,  and  it  was  high  time 
for  me  to  be  afloat.  I  had  no  wife,  nor  parents,  nor  rela- 
tives of  any  kind  to  give  or  make  me  a  home  in  England,  to 
link  me  to  the  land,  nur  to  give  significance  to  any  sort  of 
adventures  I  might  have  a  mind  to  enter  upon. 

Being  alone,  I  had  leisure  to  think  over  my  agreement 
with  Shelvocke;  and  the  longer  I  reflected  upon  it,  the 
gayer  grew  the  picture  of  the  future.  It  would  be  a  new 
life  to  me,  full  of  dash,  light,  and  activity.  It  was  taking 
the  whole  ocean  as  a  theatre  for  one's  exploits.  In  imag- 
ination I  felt  and  enjoyed  the  freedom  of  it.  I  pictured 
the  chase,  the  rushing  of  white  waters,  the  cloud  of  canvas 
soaring  upon  the  horizon  ahead,  the  flames  and  the  thunder 
of  guns,  the  rich  capture,  the  dark  nights,  the  crowd  of 
determined  men  to  command,  the  endless  excitements  of  a 
roving  commission  and  an  ocean  swarming  with  enemies' 
ships. 

With  fancies  of  this  kind  I  amused  myself  for  the  rest  of 
the  day :  and  next  morning,  punctually  to  the  hour  of  ap- 
pointment, I  presented  myself  at  the  offices  of  Hannay, 
Meadows  &  Son.  Captain  Shelvocke  was  waiting  for  me. 
He  and  Hannay  were  together  in  a  private  office,  and  I 
heard  the  sound  of  Hannay' s  voice  before  the  door  was 
opened. 

This  gentleman,  who  at  that  time  was  reckoned  one  of 
the  wealthiest  men  in  the  city  of  London,  and  who  filled 


THE  "TIGRESS."  19 

several  posts  of  honor  and  trust  in  connection  with  the  city 
companies  and  the  corporation,  was  a  fat,  red-faced  man, 
with  a  great  crop  of  perfectly  white  hair  standing  erect  on 
his  head,  like  the  long  grass  in  a  field.  He  said  he  was 
glad  to  find  me  again  in  his  employ — no  doubt  Shelvocke 
had  been  praisiug  me,  and  I  had  not  sailed  in  any  ship 
owned  by  the  firm  since  I  quitted  the  Bombay  Castle — but 
that  he  was  afraid  his  conscience  .would  trouble  him  for  let- 
ting loose  so  bloodthirsty  a  man  upon  the  French,  much  as 
he  hated  that  people  and  eager  as  he  was  to  have  a  hand  in 
the  destruction  of  their  ships. 

I  answered  that  I  hoped  I  should  not  be  thought  more 
bloodthirsty  than  I  looked,  and  that  I  should  not  look  more 
bloodthirsty  than  I  was. 

"But  you  like  fighting,"  said  he,  "don't  you?" 

"  I  shall  always  be  willing  to  fight  when  occasion  requires, 
sir,"  I  answered. 

"No  man  can  say  more  than  that,"  exclaimed  Shelvocke. 

"When  the  occasion  to  fight  does  arise,"  said  Hannay, 
twisting  the  great  seals  under  his  waistcoat  irritably,  "  you 
will  please  to  remember,  Mr.  Madison,  that  the  owner  of 
the  Tigress  has  lost  upward  of  forty-eight  thousand  pounds 
through  the  French.  That's  a  grievance,  I  submit,  Shel- 
vocke, big  enough  to  sharpen  a  cutlass  upon.  The  French 
owe  me  forty-eight  thousand  pounds,  and,  by  heaven,  gen- 
tlemen, the  Tigress'  cannon-shot  shall  make  them  liqui- 
date!" 

"We'll  do  our  best  for  you,  Mr.  Hannay,"  said  Shel- 
vocke. "And  now  that  I  have  Madison,  I'll  say,  and  I  am 
glad  he  hears  me,  that  never  since,  privateering  became  a 
business,  did  any  vessel  go  out  of  dock  with  a  better  com- 
pany of  men  than  the  Tigress  starts  with." 

"I'll  do  my  share  too,  Shelvocke,"  exclaimed  Hannay, 
walking  up  and  down  the  room  impetuously.  "  You  have 
my  orders  to  stint  nothing.  Whatever  may  make  your  ship 
formidable,  buy!     The  small  arms  I  left  to  you!" 

"I'll  warrant  them,  sir." 

"  I  am  still  of  opinion  you  err  in  not  taking  in  a  load  of 
dismantling-shot.  Wicked  ideas  are  not  always  bad  ideas, 
sir.  Star-shot  are  a  Yankee  notion  I  should  like  to  see 
aboard  the  Tigress.     Your  business  is  to  cripple,  whether 


20  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

you  run  or  board,  and  star-shot  will  wreck  a  three-decker 
in  twenty  minutes  if  plied  well." 

"  Mr.  Hannay,  I  would  as  soon  load  my  guns  with  broken 
bottles  and  tenpenny  nails.  If  round-shot,  and  grape,  and 
canister  can't  do  our  business,  we  must  give  up, "  exclaimed 
Shelvocke,  with  a  little  show  of  warmth. 

Hannay  looked  at  me  as  if  he  wished  me  to  champion 
his  views.  But  though-  I  did  not  then  know  what  star- 
shot  were,  I  suspected  a  meanness  in  them,  and  held  my 
peace. 

"Well,  Shelvocke,"  said  the  old  gentleman,  with  a  bland 
smile  that  I  thought  clever,  seeing  how  quick  he  was  with 
it,  "you  must  e'en  have  your  own  way.  But  mark  what  I 
say — whatever  may  be  thought  of  the  illegitimacy  of  the 
Yankee's  dismantling-shot,  the  British  Navy  will  have  to 
adopt  sooner  or  later  something  that  will  wreck  the  spars  of 
a  ship  more  quickly  than  the  missiles  now  in  use.  Can  it 
be  pretended  that  round  and  grape  do  half  their  work  when 
we  hear  of  ships  coming  out  of  engagements  which  have 
lasted  for  five  and  six  hours  with  all  their  spars  aloft?  I 
think  the  invention  of  the  dismantling-shot  a  monstrous 
clever  thing.  One  of  them  will  split  a  sail  in  halves,  or 
sever  one  side  of  the  standing  rigging  of  a  mast  as  though  a 
knife  were  drawn  across  the  shrouds.  Will  you  tell  me  that 
round-shot  do  this?" 

"  Eound-shot  will  do  a  deal  of  mischief,  take  my  word, 
for  it,  Mr.  Hannay,"  replied  Shelvocke;  and  evidently 
wishing  to  cut  short  a  distasteful  discussion,  he  pulled  out 
his  watch,  and  exclaimed : 

"  Come,  Madison,  it  is  time  to  be  off." 

We  shook  hands  with  Mr.  Hannay,  and  turned  into 
Leadenhall  Street. 

"You  would  hardly  suppose,"  said  Shelvocke  dryly, 
"  that  this  advocate  of  a  murderous  invention  is  the  founder 
and  chairman  of  a  Bible  Society,  that  he  has  two  sons  in  the 
Church,  and  that  his  friends  quote  him  as  a  real  example  of 
benevolence,  piety,  and  humanity.  With  all  respect  I  would 
see  him  hanged  before  I'd  use  the  shot  he  recommends.  Do 
you  know  what  they  are  like?" 

"No." 

"Imagine  a  dozen  crowbars,  each  one  about  three  feet 


THE  "TIGRESS."  21 

long,  slung  on  a  big  iron  ring,  the  spikes  being  kept 
together  like  a  fagot  of  wood  by  bits  of  spun  yarn,  which 
are  burnt  by  the  discharge.  That's  one  kind  of  dismant- 
ling-shot. Such  things,  no  doubt,  cut  up  the  rigging  of 
vessels,  but  I  question  if  they  do  more  injury  to  spars  than 
round-shot.  Their  worst  mischief  lies  among  the  men ;  they 
wound  in  the  ghastliest  way  in  the  world.  To  use  such  shot 
is  as  bad,  in  my  opinion,  as  poisoning  an  enemy's  scuttle- 
butts. I  am  sorry  that  the  Yankees,  as  an  English-speak- 
ing people,  should  stoop  to  shin-kicking  of  this  kind.  With 
all  Johnny  Frenchman's  faults,  he  is  above-board;  and  when 
he  does  fight,  he  fights  fair." 

But  though  all  this  might  be  true  enough,  Shelvocke  for- 
got in  abusing  the  Yankees  for  employing  what  he  con- 
sidered, and  what  no  doubt  was,  an  unfair  weapon,  that  the 
English  had  been  willing  to  adopt  a  clockwork  submarine 
engine  that  was  designed  to  blow  up  the  enemy's  vessels 
with  all  hands  aboard  as  they  lay  at  anchor;  though  I  ad- 
mit that  St.  Vincent  condemned  the  invention  as  inhuman, 
and  predicted  its  failure.  Nor  in  our  wars  have  we  scrupled 
to  use  fire-ships  full  of  explosive  material,  and  other  infernal 
machines,  the  object  of  which  was  to  destroy,  without  im- 
periling our  own  limbs,  as  much  human  life  and  property 
as  such  dastardly  contrivances  could  come  at.  The  truth 
is,  we  hated  the  Americans  so  bitterly  in  those  days,  that  we 
never  could  find  words  sufficiently  expressive  of  our  detesta- 
tion of  even  the  tricks  they  had  borrowed  from  our  own 
methods  of  warfare.  I  do  not  defend  any  of  the  stratagems 
practised  and  the  unfair  weapons  employed  by  the  Yankees 
during  their  wars  with  this  country :  but  I  say  that  our  con- 
demnation of  them  comes  very  foolishly  from  us,  who  are 
accountable  for  more  human  lives  destroyed  by  desperate 
and  bloody  inventions  than  any  other  nation  on  the  face  of 
the  earth.  As  an  instance,  I  knew  a  person  who  had  sailed 
under  Lord  Cochrane,  who  assured  me  that  he  had  often 
heard  his  lordship  say  he  had  a  scheme  by  which  he  could 
decoy  and  kill  a  hundred  thousand  men,  without  risking  a 
single  life  on  our  side.  There  never  was,  nor  is  there  in 
this  day,  a  braver  officer  than  Cochrane;  but  will  it  be 
doubted  that  his  scheme  would  have  been  submitted  and 
adopted  but  for  his  unhappy  quarrel  with  the  Admiralty, 


22  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

by  which  the  nation  was  deprived  of  the  services  of  this 
brilliant,  determined,  and  skilful  seaman? 

The  West  India  Docks  were  full  of  ships,  many  of  them 
Indiamen  and  South  Traders,  who,  I  was  told,  were  loading 
as  part  of  a  great  convoy  that  was  to  rendezvous  at  Torbay 
in  the  middle  of  August.  The  scene  of  the  docks  was  very 
brilliant,  for  among  the  ships  there  was  a  great  variety  of 
build,  and  it  was  a  sight  to  contrast  the  old  Indiamen  with 
their  tall  poops  and  overhanging  quarter-galleries,  their  tops 
big  enough  to  build  a  house  in,  their  apple-shaped  bows,  and 
huge  uncouth  stems,  and  freeboards  like  the  sides  of  a  hill, 
with  the  modern  long,  low,  piratical-looking  vessels,  many 
of  which  had  been  taken  from  the  French  and  the  models  of 
which  the  English  ship-builders  were  at  last  beginning  to 
understand  and  imitate ;  while  the  whole  surface  of  the  sky 
over  the  docks  was  a  mass  of  quivering  color  with  the  snake- 
like pulling  of  the  long  streamers  from  the  mast-heads,  and 
the  flags  and  ensigns  rippling  at  the  peaks  and  the  flag- 
staffs  on  the  bowsprits  and  over  the  stern. 

A  man  used  to  these  peaceful  times,  or  rather,  I  should 
say,  to  the  change  that  has  come  over  the  spirit  of  the  mer- 
cantile marine,  would  have  been  rather  astonished  by  the 
formidable  exhibition  of  guns  aboard  some  of  these  homely 
traders,  the  shot  piled  round  the  hatches,  the  small-arms 
racks  abaft  the  mainmast,  and  the  resolute  fighting  cut  of 
the  crews  at  work  upon  the  various  vessels.  After  we  had 
come  to  a  certain  place  in  the  docks  where  we  commanded 
a  view  of  a  large  number  of  ships,  Shelvocke  grasped  my 
arm  and  stopped  me. 

"  Madison, "  said  he,  "  you  have  a  sharp  eye.  Look  about 
you  and  tell  me  which  vessel  is  the  Tigress." 

There  were  several  schooners  in  the  docks,  some  of  them 
large  vessels,  very  smart  and  taut  aloft,  and  most  of  them 
fairly  answering  to  the  description  Shelvocke  had  given  me 
of  his  ship.  But  I  did  not  require  to  look  about  me  long 
before  hitting  on  my  craft.  We  were  five  minutes'  walk 
from  her,  but  even  at  that  distance  she  was  instantly  dis- 
tinguishable by  a  sailor  as  the  loveliest  vessel  in  the  docks. 
She  was  lying  alongside  a  high  squab  Indiaman,  whose 
yards  were  braced  up  to  allow  the  schooner  to  sit  close ;  but 
the  contrast  was  of  little  use  to  the  Tigress;  you  needed  to 


THE  "TIGRESS."  23 

see  her  clear  of  all  surroundings,  alone  upon  the  water,  to 
do  justice  to  her  beautiful  fabric. 

"That  should  be  your  schooner,  captain,"  said,  I  pointing 
to  her. 

"  Yes,  that's  the  Tigress.  Is  she  not  something  to  set  a 
man's  heart  dancing?"  he  exclaimed,  in  a  voice  as  impas- 
sioned as  a  lover's  in  speaking  of  his  mistress,  and  forcing 
me  to  smile  by  the  energy  and  intensity  of  it.  "See,"  he 
said,  drawing  me  a  few  paces  forward  and  then  stopping 
me  afresh,  "you  catch  her  run  here.  Do  you  mark  the 
swell  of  her  side,  the  beauty  of  that  faint  inward  curve  from 
the  water's  edge  to  the  rail  of  the  bulwark?  Observe  how 
she  tapers  aft,  until  you  might  think  it  impossible  that  a 
gun  could  be  trained  through  the  stern-port.  She  has  no 
channels  to  drag  through  the  water,  do  you  notice?  Those 
chain-plates,  with  the  dead-eyes  coming  inboard,  strengthen 
the  bulwarks,  and  are  greasy  things  for  a  boarder's  hands, 
while  her  beam  gives  a  noble  spread  to  the  shrouds.  But 
come  along!"  he  cried,  breaking  into  a  laugh,  and  staring 
around  him,  "or  they'll  be  taking  me  for  some  itinerant 
parson  hired  by  Bonaparte  to  denounce  the  wickedness  of 
fighting  for  one's  country." 

We  walked  to  the  schooner,  and  boarded  her  by  scramb- 
ling over  the  Indiaman,  whose  decks  were  lumbered  by  a 
crowd  of  men  swinging  bales  of  goods  into  her  capacious 
hold. 

The  Tigress  was  flush  fore  and  aft,  her  main-hatchway 
small,  and  I  never  remember  seeing  such  a  roomy  deck  as 
hers.  Her  beam  was  twenty-seven  feet,  and  her  length 
a  hundred  and  nine  feet.  She  mounted  a  twenty-four- 
pounder  on  the  forecastle,  where  there  was  plenty  of  room 
to  work  it.  All  her  fining,  indeed,  was  under  water.  Both 
the  height  and  thickness  of  her  bulwarks  were  unusual,  for 
Shelvocke,  six  foot  as  he  was,  could  only  just  see  over  the 
rail,  and  the  gun-ports  looked  like  embrasures  in  the  walls 
of  a  castle.  She  carried  six  eighteen-pounders,  three  of 
a  side,  and  four  forty-two  pound  carronades,  as  well  as 
the  two  twenty-four-pound  chasers,  making  in  all  twelve 
guns.  Her  mainmast  was  eighty-four  feet  high,  and  the 
height  from  the  deck  to  the  topmast-head  was  very  nearly  a 
hundred  and  fifty  feet;  and  as  I  glanced  aloft  at  her  mag- 


24  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

nificent  spars,  with  the  square-rig  forward  tapering  into  a 
little  skysail-yard,  and  studding-sail  boom-irons  as  high  as 
her  topgallant-yard,  I  had  no  trouble  to  guess  the  spacious 
folds  of  canvas  she  would  be  able  to  throw  open  to  the  wind 
when  occasion  required  them.  Her  hull  was  painted  black, 
with  a  very  narrow  white  streak  running  along  the  sides  just 
under  the  gun-ports.  She  sat  low  on  the  water,  and  would 
be  lower  yet  when  completely  victualed  and  her  crew  aboard. 
But  for  her  beam,  her  low  freeboard  would  have  threatened 
a  wet  ship  in  a  seaway ;  but  deep  as  she  lay,  her  copper 
sheathing  came  a  foot  above  the  point  of  immersion,  and 
the  metal  sparkled  like  new  gold. 

"What  do  you  think  of  her?"  asked  Shelvocke,  whose 
eyes  had  been  fixed  on  my  face  while  I  noted  these  points. 

"  I  think  that  for  beauty  and  strength  she's  a  wonder, 
sir,"  I  answered,  "and  worthy  to  become  a  famous  name." 

"That  we'll  make  her — at  least  among  the  mounseers!" 
he  exclaimed,  laughing.  "  You  can  overhaul  her  below  if 
you  like,  Mr.  Madison,"  giving  me  the  stiff  mister  on  his 
own  quarter-deck.  "  I  have  to  see  a  man  on  the  Palatine 
lying  yonder,  but  shall  be  aboard  again  presently."  And 
so  saying,  he  went  over  the  side. 

The  only  man  I  had  yet  noticed  on  the  schooner  was  an 
old  sailor,  who  stumped  up  and  down  the  starboard  side  of 
the  forecastle  with  the  regularity  of  a  pendulum,  occasion- 
ally pausing  to  squirt  a  quantity  of  tobacco-juice  from  his 
mouth  over  the  bulwarks.  I  walked  to  the  companion,  and 
went  down  the  steps,  noticing  how  the  strength  of  the  ves- 
sel's build  was  exhibited  in  the  smallest  detail,  the  brass 
handrail  being  as  thick  as  a  man's  arm,  and  the  scantling 
of  the  companion  almost  as  stout  as  the  bulwarks  of  a  hun- 
dred-ton sloop.  On  arriving  at  the  bottom  of  the  ladder,  I 
found  myself  in  a  small  cabin,  lighted  by  a  flat  skylight  over 
head.  The  cabin  was  bulkheaded  all  around  into  berths, 
and  against  the  partition  dividing  the  after-cabin  from  the 
room  used  by  the  surgeon  and  the  third  and  fourth  mates, 
was  a  stand  of  muskets,  cutlasses,  and  pikes,  which  gave 
a  very  grim  and  warlike  look  to  the  plain,  dark-brown,  and 
powerfully  constructed  interior. 

A  young  man,  who  was  reading  at  the  table  in  the  centre 
of  the  cabin,  got  up  as  I  came  down,  and  stared  at  me  with 


THE  "TIGRESS."  25 

an  expression  of  surprise.  He  was  as  tall  as  Captain  Shel- 
vocke,  but  for  angularity  and  gauntness  and  general  un- 
couthness  I  never  saw  his  like;  in  short,  he  might  have 
stood  for  the  figure  of  the  French  musketeer  in  Hogarth's 
print  of  "  Calais  Gates."  His  immensely  long  legs  when  he 
was  erect  exactly  resembled  a  pair  of  compasses  clothed  in 
ill-fitting  trousers,  and  his  monkey-jacket  being  unusually 
short,  the  length  of  his  legs  was  proportionately  exagger- 
ated. His  ebony-colored  hair  was  brushed  down  like  a 
horse's  tail,  some  inches  below  the  collar  of  his  coat;  his 
dark,  gleaming  eyes  were  sunk  deep  in  his  head,  and  his 
capacious  mouth  appeared  to  extend  the  whole  breadth  of 
his  jaws. 

"Hallo,  shipmate!"  he  exclaimed,  in  a  hard,  gruff  voice, 
"  where  are  you  bound  to?  Your  road  home  doesn't  lie  this 
way,  does  it?" 

"  Who  the  devil  are  you?"  said  I. 

"  You  ask  the  question  so  civilly  that  I  don't  mind  tell- 
ing you,"  he  answered,  with  a  grin  that  exposed  a  tremen- 
dous broadside  of  grinders.  "I'm  the  second  mate  of  this 
vessel;  and  if  you've  got  any  business  to  transact,  please  to 
let  us  hear  of  it." 

"Then  your  name  is  Mr.  Silas  Chestree?"  said  I. 

"  At  your  service,"  he  replied,  making  as  if  he  would  sit. 

"My  name  is  Mr.  Julian  Madison,"  said  I;  "and  when 
I  tell  you  I  am  chief  mate  of  the  Tigress,  perhaps  you'll  be 
good  enough  to  use  me  with  a  little  civility." 

"Chief  mate!  I'm  very  sorry,  sir,"  he  exclaimed,  pull- 
ing off  his  hat  and  throwing  it  on  the  table.  "  It  was  im- 
possible for  me  to  guess  who  you  were,  sir.  I  understood 
from  Captain  Shelvocke  that  Mr.  Hollings  was  to  be  chief 
mate." 

"  Captain  Shelvocke  has  done  me  the  honor  to  appoint  me 
in  the  room  of  Mr.  Hollings,"  said  I.  "However,  you  are 
not  to  blame,  Mr.  Chestree,  as  I  should  have  introduced 
myself  to  you  at  once.  As  it  is  to  be  shoulder  to  shoulder 
with  us  all,  we'll  shake  hands." 

He  squeezed  my  fingers  with  a  grip  that  made  them 
almost  bloodless,  and  seemed  to  think  himself  very  fortu- 
nate that  I  should  overlook  his  rudeness  so  quickly  and 
easily. 


26  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

Accompanied  by  this  officer,  I  took  advantage  of  Shel- 
vocke's  absence  to  thoroughly  inspect  the  vessel,  noting 
every  point  for  my  own  satisfaction,  and  with  the  intention 
of  indicating  any  weakness  I  might  come  across.  Mr.  Ches- 
tree  told  me  that  all  the  work  had  been  done  by  the  dock- 
yard people,  and  that  the  crew  were  coming  aboard  on 
Saturday.  He  said  Captain  Shelvocke  had  found  no  diffi- 
culty in  obtaining  a  crew ;  indeed,  upward  of  two  hundred 
men  had  offered,  on  hearing  that  the  vessel  that  wanted  sea- 
men was  the  Tigress,  and  that  the  pick  of  them,  every  man 
being  a  native  of  Great  Britain,  had  been  selected,  and  that 
there  were  not  above  five  boys  among  the  whole  lot  of  them. 
The  more  critically  I  inspected  the  schooner,  the  more  she 
pleased  me.  Every  improvement  that  had  been  suggested 
by  the  long  maritime  wars  in  which  England  had  been  en- 
gaged was  adopted.  The  only  doubt  I  had  was  whether 
she  was  not  too  heavily  armed  for  speed,  although  I  could 
not  question  the  value  of  the  long  guns  in  the  event  of  being 
chased  by  the  large  frigates  and  line-of-battle  ships  which 
the  French  had  launched  broadcast  upon  the  seas. 

In  about  an  hour's  time,  Captain  Shelvocke  came  aboard 
again,  and  took  me  into  his  cabin,  where  we  had  a  long  talk 
over  the  schooner  and  her  equipment,  and  the  plans  he  had 
in  his  mind.  He  was  very  sanguine,  and  believed  that  he 
should  be  able  to  achieve  any  end  he  designed  with  such  a 
vessel  as  the  Tigress  under  him.  He  said  that  he  meant  to 
have  a  very  strict  discipline  maintained,  and  that  he  should 
look  to  me  to  help  him  to  get  as  good  a  character  for  the 
schooner  as  any  that  was  owned  by  the  best-managed  ships 
of  war  in  the  English  service. 

"There  is  no  denying,"  said  he,  "that  privateering  has 
got  to  be  thought  a  kind  of  legalized  piracy,  and  the  notion 
is  not  unjust.  But  I  don't  intend  to  let  the  Tigress  get  a 
reputation  of  that  kind.  We'll  capture  what  we  can,  but 
we'll  capture  honestly,  and  earn  our  money  as  gentlemen. 
Our  rules  must  be  tenderness  to  women,  kind  treatment  to 
prisoners,  and  no  act  that  shall  subject  my  letter  of  marque 
to  revocation." 

He  produced  his  commission  as  he  said  this,  and  ran  his 
eye  over  it,  making  comments  as  he  went  along. 

"It's  a  carte  blanche,  Madison,"  said  he,     "In  conse- 


THE  "TIGRESS."  27 

quence  of  the  insults  and  provocations  his  Britannic  Ma- 
jesty has  experienced  from  the  Government  of  France,  he 
has  ordered  that  general  reprisals  be  granted  against  the 
goods,  ships,  and  subjects  of  that  nation." 

"And  small  blame  to  him  for  that,  sir,"  said  I.  "The 
French  luggers  would  provoke  the  Archbishop  of  Canter- 
bury into  turning  privateersman." 

"Especially  if  his  grace  happened  to  be  a  ship-owner. 
So,"  continued  he,  looking  at  his  commission,  "in  conse- 
quence of  these  insults  and  provocations,  his  Majesty  has 
thought  proper  to  permit  Eobert  Shelvocke  to  equip,  fur- 
nish, and  victual  a  schooner  called  the  Tigress,  and  to 
authorize  him  by  force  of  arms  to  play  the  devil  among  the 
merchantmen  owned  by  the  enemies  of  his  Majesty  the  King 
of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  which  the  said  Robert  Shel- 
vocke, being  a  loyal  Briton,  undertakes  to  do  to  the  utmost 
of  his  ability,  as  much  for  the  honor  and  glory  of  his  country 
as  for  the  filling  of  his  own  and  the  pockets  of  the  people 
who  are  associated  with  him.  So  there  you  have  the  sub- 
stance of  a  letter  of  marque,"  said  he,  returning  the  docu- 
ment to  his  pocket-book,  "  which,  deprived  of  parliamentary 
language,  means,  Seize  what  you  can,  and  what  you  can't 
pocket,  destroy." 

Laughing  as  he  said  this,  he  got  up,  and  calling  to  Ches- 
tree,  gave  him  some  instructions;  and  after  keeping  me 
waiting  on  deck  while  he  wrote  a  letter  in  his  cabin,  we  left 
the  schooner  and  made  our  way  out  of  the  Docks. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  CHASE  OF  THE  ARMED  LUGGER. 

The  crew  joined  on  Saturday,  and  when  I  came  aboard 
on  the  following  evening  I  learned  that  not  a  single  man 
was  missing.  The  decks  forward  were  filled  with  seamen 
when  I  arrived,  and  their  sweethearts  and  wives  having  been 
allowed  to  spend  the  evening  with  them,  the  crowd  was  a 
dense  one.  Here  was  a  bushy-whiskered  sailor  nursing  his 
little  child,  coddling  and  tossing  it,  while  his  wife  hung  over 
his  back,  silently  crying;  yonder  a  pretty  girl  was  exhorting 
her  sweetheart  with  all  manner  of  passionate  gestures :  hus- 
bands and  wives  sat  together  talking  earnestly.  The  whole 
scene  was  a  remarkable  picture,  with  the  varied  costumes 
of  the  men  and  women  and  children  contrasting  with  the 
sand-white  decks,  the  rows  of  sullen  guns,  the  wand-like 
masts  shooting  into  the  blue  sky,  the  gleam  of  the  red  even- 
ing sunlight  in  the  metal  work,  the  ships  moored  ahead  and 
astern  of  us,  their  shadows  hanging  in  the  waters  as  though 
they  reposed  upon  a  bed  of  looking-glass,  and  their  inter- 
laced rigging  soaring  like  cobwebs  into  the  heavens. 

Shelvocke  had  told  me  he  would  not  join  the  schooner 
until  early  on  Monday  morning,  as  he  was  to  spend  Sunday 
evening  with  Mr.  Hannay.  I  went  below  to  put  my  berth 
to  rights,  and  found  the  square  box  allotted  to  me  as  con- 
venient and  comfortable  as  I  had  a  right  to  expect  in  a  ves- 
sel of  the  tonnage  of  the  Tigress.  There  was  no  room  to 
swing  a  hammock,  but  my  legs  were  not  too  long  for  the 
bunk,  or  sleeping-shelf,  and  a  sailor  has  no  right  to  ask  for 
more. 

When  I  went  on  deck  again  I  found  the  three  mates  aft, 
and  joined  them.  Mr.  Buck  Tapping,  the  third  officer,  was 
a  square,  very  powerfully  built  young  man,  with  a  face  like 
a  prize-fighter's,  long  muscular  arms,  and  short  legs.     He 


THE  CHASE  OF  THE  ARMED  LUGGER.     29 

had  a  scar  across  his  left  cheek,  which  he  told  me  he  had 
received  in  a  struggle  with  a  fleet  of  Malay  pirates.  There 
was  a  remarkable  expression  of  audacity  in  his  eyes.  The 
fourth  mate,  Mr.  Peacock,  on  the  other  hand,  looked  almost 
effeminate  with  his  slender  build,  small  white  fingers,  and 
smooth,  thin,  handsome  face.  His  teeth  were  beautifully 
white  and  even,  his  eyes  large,  dark,  and  melancholy,  his 
hair  a  rich  auburn.  He  looked  more  like  a  poet  than  a 
sailor,  and  the  last  man  I  should  have  thought  fit  for  pri- 
vateering. He  interested  me  immediately.  I  asked  him 
how  long  he  had  been  to  sea? 

"Since  I  was  ten  years  old,  sir,"  he  answered,  with  his 
sweet  smile. 

"And  pray  how  old  are  you  now,  Mr.  Peacock?" 

"Nineteen,  sir." 

"  Why,  you  have  been  to  sea  almost  as  long  as  I  have!" 
I  exclaimed.  "The  sun  seems  to  have  used  you  kindly," 
referring  to  his  delicate  complexion. 

Yet  Chestree  afterward  informed  me  that  this  same  youth, 
girlish  as  he  looked,  had  performed  as  gallant  an  action  as 
any  on  record ;  he  had  been  apprentice  on  board  an  Indiaman 
that  was  attacked  by  a  heavily  armed  French  sloop  off  the 
south  coast  of  Ceylon.  The  yard-arms  of  the  two  vessels 
got  locked.  Three  times  the  crew  of  the  Indiaman  en- 
deavored to  board  the  enemy,  and  were  repulsed.  At  last 
little  Peacock,  shouting  out  for  followers,  sprang  aloft,  ran 
along  the  main-topsail-yard  of  his  own  ship,  and,  with  half 
a  dozen  men  behind  him,  gained  the  fore-topsail-yard  of 
the  sloop,  drove  a  crowd  of  small-arms  men  out  of  the  fore 
top,  and  reached  the  enemy's  deck  unperceived  amid  the 
smoke.  Their  presence  terrified  the  Frenchmen,  a  number 
of  whom  ran  below :  the  crew  of  the  Indiaman  boarded  in 
the  confusion,  and  while  the  seamen  of  the  two  ships  fought 
like  devils  on  the  deck  of  the  sloop,  Peacock  went  aloft  and 
cut  away  the  colors,  on  seeing  which  the  crew  of  the  sloop 
supposed  their  captain  had  struck  and  threw  down  their 
arms. 

Glancing  from  the  officers  to  the  men,  it  seemed  to  me 
quite  reasonable  that.  Shelvocke  should  boast  of  his  comple- 
ment. Of  course  an  eye  used  to  the  uniformity  of  the  dress 
of  men-of-war's  men  could  have  wished  for  less  diversity  of 


30  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

costume  among  the  men  of  the  Tigress.  But  no  private 
owner  could  afford  to  give  clothes  as  well  as  wages.  Still, 
as  I  said  to  Chestree,  the  Tigress  would  have  been  the  better 
for  the  finishing  touch  of  a  uniform  dress  among  the  crew ; 
for,  though  the  motley  costumes  did  not  in  the  least  damage 
the  fine  appearance  of  the  men,  yet  to  see  some  in  red  shirts, 
others  in  blue  shirts,  others  again  in  jackets  and  waistcoats, 
some  wearing  fishermen's  caps,  some  high  hats,  and  some 
sou' westers,  took  away  that  sense  of  orderliness,  discipline, 
and  regularity  which,  of  themselves,  the  white  decks,  the 
heavy  guns,  the  exquisite  trim  of  the  gear  aloft  suggested, 
and  even  gave  the  schooner  a  piratical  air. 

"But  they'll  look  all  one,  sir,"  said  Chestree  to  me, 
"when  they  come  to  strip  for  an  engagement." 

Captain  Shelvocke  came  aboard  next  morning  a  little  after 
eight  o'clock,  and  the  tide  serving,  we  hauled  out  of  the 
Docks,  and  dropped  down  to  Erith,  where  we  brought  up 
and  took  in  our  powder. 

It  was  a  very  bright,  hot  clay,  with  a  small  breeze  from 
the  northwest.  A  whole  crowd  of  people  stood  looking  at 
us  from  the  shore,  and  I  noticed  the  crews  of  the  vessels 
which  passed  up  or  down  as  we  lay  at  anchor  point  to  us, 
and  by  many  gestures  express  the  admiration  that  the  beau- 
tiful fabric  of  the  schooner  excited  in  them.  The  powder 
was  all  aboard  and  stowed  by  half-past  eleven,  when  the 
capstan  was  manned,  the  anchor  lifted,  and,  with  flowing 
sheets  and  all  her  fore-and-aft  canvas  set,  the  Tigress  went 
smoothly  over  the  surface  of  the  Thames,  the  water  of  which 
hereabouts  was  like  molten  silver,  dazzling  with  the  play  of 
sunlight  upon  it,  and  scarcely  blurred  by  the  breeze. 

Every  man  of  us  knew  that  this  was  the  schooner's  first 
run,  and  that  her  pace  remained  to  be  proved :  and  the  men's 
eyes  were  constantly  aloft,  or  over  the  side,  or  upon  the 
land,  to  see  how  fast  it  slipped  by. 

The  tide  was  beginning  to  ebb,  but  it  was  scarcely  worth 
noticing,  though  what  little  trickle  there  was  favored  us. 
Had  the  schooner  been  a  mere  trader,  no  one  would  have 
troubled  himself  to  think  of  her  pace  with  such  a  languid 
air  as  was  now  stirring  overhead;  but,  for  privateering,  the 
best  vessels  are  those  which  sail  fastest  with  the  least  wind, 
as  any  man  knows  who  has  chased  a  cloud  of  flying  kites, 


THE  CHASE  OF  THE  ARMED  LUGGER.     31 

or  who  has  been  within  range  of  the  guns  of  a  big  enemy 
with  not  enough  air  to  chill  the  skin  of  a  moistened  finger ; 
and  we  were  as  anxious  to  discover  the  Tigress'  slipping 
powers  in  little  better  than  a  calm,  as  we  should  have  been 
to  judge  her  capacity  of  forereaching  and  weathering  in  a 
gale  of  wind. 

"There  is  no  air  down  here,"  said  Shelvocke,  joining  me 
at  the  gangway,  "  and  the  tide  is  certainly  not  yet  running 
a  quarter  of  a  knot.  Yet  look  at  the  shore!  It  is  going 
past  quicker  than  a  man  can  run.  We  shall  be  opening 
Gravesend  in  twenty  minutes." 

"  Shall  I  heave  the  log,  sir?" 

"  Why,  yes,  Mr.  Madison.  It  will  give  us  some  idea  of 
the  speed." 

The  log  was  hove  by  the  third  officer,  who  reported  four 
and  a  half  knots. 

"  There  must  be  more  wind  than  we  think, "  said  Shel- 
vocke, looking  both  astonished  and  delighted,  "  or  else  the 
tide  strengthens.  Get  the  square  canvas  on  her,  and  try 
her  with  that." 

A  number  of  men  sprang  into  the  foreshrouds. 

"  Stand  by  to  sheet  home!     Overhaul  your  clewlines!" 

In  less  than  a  couple  of  minutes  all  three  sails  were 
loosed,  the  sheets  and  halliards  manned,  and  the  canvas 
set.  The  men  worked  without  noise,  and  to  the  piping  of 
a  boatswain's  mate.  Nothing  was  ever  more  smartly 
rushed  aboard  a  man-of-war. 

"  Get  the  squaresail  on  her,  Mr.  Madison,  and  let  her 
have  all  three  studding-sails!"  sung  out  Shelvocke. 

Though  we  should  not  be  able  to  carry  these  last  sails 
long,  for  a  bend  of  the  river  would  bring  them  to  leeward 
presently,  yet  the  experiment  of  setting  them  was  worth  the 
trouble,  and  in  a  few  moments  the  polished  surface  of  the 
water  reflected  the  brilliance  of  the  shining  cotton-white 
cloths,  cut  to  perfection,  and  depending  in  graceful  forms 
many  feet  beyond  the  vessel's  side.  The  square-sail  was 
an  enormous  stretch  of  canvas,  big  enough  to  hold  a  gale  of 
wind.  These  extra  cloths  increased  the  speed  to  six 
knots. 

"I  think  1  told  you,"  said  Shelvocke  to  me,  "that  the 
Tigress  would  prove  to  be  the  fastest  thing  afloat.     1  call 


32  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

this  a  real  miracle.     Look  at  that  big  cutter  yonder.     We 
are  approaching  her  as  though  she  were  a  buoy." 

He  pointed  to  a  large  vessel  a  little  on  our  starboard  bow 
that  we  were  overhauling  as  though  she  were  stationary. 
She  was  a  Margate  hoy,  a  lumping  sloop,  with  a  deck-load 
of  passengers  between  her  rails.  We  had  our  gun-ports 
raised,  and  no  doubt  made  a  formidable  as  well  as  a  noble 
show  with  the  tompions  choking  the  iron  throats  of  the  grin- 
ning guns,  and  the  snow-white  mountain  of  canvas  topping 
the  low,  long,  black,  beautifully  moulded  hull.  The  people 
on  the  hoy  crowded  her  side  to  have  a  look  at  us,  and  her 
skipper  clambered  on  to  the  after  rail  and  stared  at  us  with 
his  mouth  open,  amazed,  as  he  well  might  be,  at  the  way  in 
which  we  were  passing  him,  and  looked  up  at  our  canvas, 
and  then  around  him,  as  though  endeavoring  to  find  out 
where  the  wind  that  propelled  us  came  from. 

I  have  seen  a  good  many  vessels  of  all  sorts  and  sizes  in 
my  time,  from  the  Frenchman's  four-decker  to  the  Algerine 
felucca,  and  it  is  not  therefore  easy  to  guess  why  the  picture 
of  that  Margate  hoy  should  have  printed  itself  strongly 
enough  on  my  mind  to  last  all  these  years.  Yet  I  see  her 
now  in  fancy  as  clearly  as  I  saw  her  then  in  reality.  Per- 
haps the  contrast  between  the  mission  of  these  peaceful  holi- 
day seekers  and  our  own  bloody  and  destructive  errand  may 
have  emphasized  the  little  hooker  to  my  imagination.  There 
was  such  fat  and  placid  contentment  in  the  line  of  faces  that 
crowded  her  side  as  was  extremely  pleasant  to  behold.  There 
was  the  sound  of  a  flute  aboard,  and  there  were  children 
dancing  in  the  bows,  and  most  of  the  people  were  eating  their 
dinners  out  of  paper  bags,  munching  like  ruminant  animals 
as  they  looked  at  us.  It  was  a  picture  of  old-fashioned  life 
that  has  quite  vanished.  The  hoy  was  a  chubby  boat,  rather 
slatternly  rigged,  with  a  big  jack  on  a  flag-post  over  her 
stern.  Her  image  was  beautifully  reflected  in  the  water 
under  her,  with  the  row  of  gleaming  faces  over  her  rail. 
Her  skipper  called  out  to  know  where  we  were  going,  and 
Shelvocke  answered  "  To  blow  up  a  few  Frenchmen,"  where- 
at the  men  cheered  and  waved  their  hats,  and  the  women 
kissed  their  hands  to  us  and  fluttered  their  pocket-hand- 
kerchiefs. 

We  slipped  by  her  as  swiftly  and  silently  as  a  shark  glides 


THE  CHASE  OF  THE  ARMED  LUGGER.     33 

along  the  side  of  a  ship  becalmed  on  the  equator,  and  pres- 
ently opened  the  merry  little  town  of  Graveseud,  with  its 
windows  sparkling  in  the  sunshine,  and  the  outline  of  the 
green  lands  beyond  waving  like  a  serpent  in  the  hot  and 
steamy  air. 

I  had  some  fear  that  the  wind  would  fail  us,  in  which  case 
we  should  have  been  forced  to  bring  up;  but  quite  unex- 
pectedly it  breezed  up  across  the  flat  Essex  lands,  and  the 
water  was  all  awobble  with  it.  There  was  a  very  handsome 
thirty- eight-gun  frigate,  of  French  extraction,  as  any  man 
might  have  known  by  the  curl  of  the  bows  and  the  florid 
decorations  of  her  quarter-galleries,  and  the  lavish  carving 
upon  her  stern,  lying  abreast  of  Graveseud ;  and  near  her 
were  a  couple  of  East  Indiamen,  newly  arrived,  with  the 
rust  of  their  long  voyage  upon  their  sides,  and  their  canvas 
very  clumsily  stowed.  The  effect  our  vessel  produced  was 
exhibited  in  the  rush  of  the  crews  of  these  ships  to  look  at 
us  as  we  went  by.  We  were  to  windward  of  them,  so  that, 
from  their  point  of  view,  the  Tigress  showed  to  the  utmost 
advantage.  The  bend  of  the  river  had  brought  the  wind 
right  abeam,  and  with  enough  inclination  of  her  masts  to 
prove  that  she  was  in  earnest,  the  schooner  was  ripping  up 
the  lustrous  water  with  her  stem  as  a  sharp  knife  divides  a 
length  of  satin.  Every  sail  was  full  and  round,  the  stud- 
ding-sails tearing  at  the  booms  as  though  they  were  clouds 
seeking  to  blow  away  into  the  liquid  blue  heavens.  She 
raised  no  foam,  but  amid  the  humming  of  the  summer  wind 
sweeping  under  the  foot  of  the  huge  mainsail,  one  could 
hear  the  soft  singing  of  swiftly  passing  waters,  like  the  beat- 
ing on  musical  glasses  heard  at  a  distance,  or  the  clanging 
of  a  bell  mingling  with  the  rustling  of  leaves.  The  vessels 
at  anchor  went  whirling  past  us,  coming  stem  on,  and  then 
presenting  their  starboard  broadsides  as  we  swept  forward. 
We  seemed  to  keep  place  with  the  very  shadows  of  the  clouds 
upon  the  land.  It  is  true  that  the  Tigress  had  now  every 
possible  advantage :  perfectly  smooth  water,  a  steady  breeze, 
and  every  sail  set  with  the  exception  of  her  skysail :  still  her 
qualities  both  in  a  light  air  and  in  a  pleasant  breeze  had 
been  tested :  and  that  she  had  marvellously  fine  keen  heels 
was  proved  to  the  satisfaction  of  every  man  aboard  of  her. 

Indeed  there  was  not  one  of  the  crew  but  understood  the 
3 


34  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

significance  of  these  tastes,  seeing  the  perilous  fun  her  cap- 
tain was  likely  to  poke  her  into;  and  that  not  only  our  for- 
tune, but  our  lives  also,  must  often  depend  on  her  running 
powers.  And  the  beautiful  schooner  had  already  won  the 
hearts  of  her  men.  I  could  see  some  of  them  hanging  over 
her  bows,  and  slapping  their  thighs  as  they  watched  the 
gleaming  swirl  of  water  spreading  out  from  her  stem,  until 
it  was  three  fathoms  distant  by  the  time  it  was  on  the  quar- 
ter, while  others  pointed  out  the  trim  and  cut  of  the  canvas 
and  the  stay  of  her  long  masts,  and  others  looked  at  the  land 
that  was  drawing  away  on  either  bow,  and  commented  in 
audible  tones  upon  the  rapidity  with  which  one  familiar 
place  after  another  opened  and  slid  abeam,  and  went  away 
out  of  sight  upon  the  broadening  waters  astern. 

A  little  after  six  we  were  abreast  of  Sheerness,  and 
another  hour  of  this  sailing  would  put  the  waters  of  the 
English  Channel  under  our  forefoot.  The  wind  had  veered 
due  north,  and  was  blowing  a  gay  breeze.  The  square  can- 
vas had  been  furled,  and  the  Tigress  was  beginning  to  feel 
the  fain  swell  running  into  the  mouth  of  the  river  from  the 
wider  ocean  beyond,  and  to  tumble  a  small  surface  of  foam 
from  her  bows,  as  she  ran  over  the  light  undulations.  It 
was  a  glorious  evening,  the  land  a  dim,  delicate  green  away 
on  the  starboard  hand,  and  the  sun  going  down  over  our 
stern,  filling  the  water  all  that  way  with  a  strong  yellow 
light,  while  to  the  left  the  sea  stretched  in  a  tremulous  dark- 
blue  surface,  flaked  with  little  spurts  of  foam.  There  was 
a  small  cutter  a  couple  of  miles  to  leeward,  like  a  snow-flake 
on  the  sea,  with  English  colors  hoisted,  but  she  was  the  only 
vessel  in  sight. 

I  went  below  to  get  a  cup  of  tea,  leaving  the  captain  and 
Mr.  Tapping  on  deck.  I  found  Chestree  talking  to  young 
Peacock,  whom  he  had  called  into  the  cabin,  and  the  second 
mate  asked  me  if  I  had  heard  where  we  were  going  to  cruise. 
I  answered  that  I  believed  we  should  hang  about  the  Chan- 
nel for  some  days,  but  that  Captain  Shelvocke  had  not  fully 
opened  his  mind  to  me  on  the  subject. 

"I  hope  he  will  give  us  some  cutting-out  job,  sir,"  said 
Peacock,  his  soft  girlish  smile  and  the  white  hand  he  raised 
to  push  back  the  soft  auburn  hair  from  his  forehead  making 
his  wish  sound  extremely  odd.     "  And  one  would  like  the 


THE  CHASE  OF  THE  ARMED  LUGGER.     35 

Tigress,  before  she  turns  trader — which  I  suppose,  when 
peace  is  declared,  will  be  her  vulgar  destiny — to  capture  a 
French  seventy -four " 

"  A  French  what?"  shouted  Chestree,  opening  his  great 
mouth. 

"A  French  seventy -four,  I  said,"  repeated  the  handsome 
young  fellow,  in  a  melodious  voice,  and  looking  at  me  with 
his  dark,  melancholy  eyes.  "  There  ought  to  be  no  difficulty 
in  capturing  the  largest  national  ship  afloat." 

Here  Chestree  was  interrupting. 

"Pray  let  Peacock  have  his  say,  Chestree,''"  said  I. 

"  Frenchmen  fight  well  with  their  guns,  sir,  and  usually 
give  a  fair  account  of  an  English  crew  at  a  point-blank  dis- 
tance, all  things  considered.  But  there  are  no  people  in  the 
world  among  whom  a  panic  is  more  easily  excited.  They 
come  into  action  with  an  English  Vessel  prepared  to  be 
beaten.  The  secret  of  thrashing  a  big  crew  of  Frenchmen 
by  a  small  crew  of  Englishmen  is  to  give  the  mounseers  a 
big  fright,  sir." 

He  saw  me  laughing,  and  stopped,  blushing  to  the  roots 
of  his  hair. 

"Pray  continue,  Mr.  Peacock,"  said  I,  recovering  my 
gravity. 

"  It  was  the  idea  of  the  captain  of  the  last  ship  I  was 
in,"  said  he,  glancing  at  Chestree  to  make  sure  that  he  was 
listening  seriously,  "that  among  every  small  crew  there 
should  be  three  or  four  men  selected  on  account  of  their  dis- 
agreeable voices." 

"Hang  me  if  ever  I  heard  of  such  a  thing!"  exclaimed 
Chestree,  looking  with  a  kind  of  admiration  at  the  boy. 

"  His  notion  was  to  dress  these  fellows  like  Frenchmen, 
and  after  the  action  had  commenced  and  the  English  had 
got  their  ship  into  a  position  to  board,  the  Frenchified 
Britons  were  to  drop  into  the  water  and  swim  round  to  the 
unprotected  side  of  the  enemy,  scramble  into  her,  and  get 
among  the  crew,  who,  in  the  confusion,  would  suppose  them 
some  of  their  own  people  who  had  fallen  overboard.  Once 
on  the  enemy's  decks,  it  would  be  the  business  of  these  fel- 
lows to  raise  false  alarms,  and  create  a  panic  with  their  hor- 
rible cries." 

"  Ay,  ay, "  said  Chestree,  "  all  that  sounds  very  well  in 


36  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

talk,  but  to  make  any  use  of  your  transmogrified  Britons 
would  require  what  the  Germans  call  a  neat  conjunction  of 
circumstances.  And  pray  how  are  your  fellows  going  to 
scramble  up  the  sides  of  a  three-decker?  Answer  me  that, 
my  fine  fellow." 

"How?  with  their  hands.  They  must  get  up,  sir!"  ex- 
claimed Peacock,  with  a  flushed  face. 

"  But  suppose  they  can't  ?"  persisted  Chestree. 

"Why,  then,"  said  I,  "the  ruse  must  fail,  of  course. 
But  even  should  it  succeed  once  in  ten  times,  I  should  con- 
sider it  by  no  means  a  bad  idea." 

"It  was  twice  tried  by  the  same  captain,"  said  Peacock, 
"and  was  each  time  successful." 

"Were  you  there  to  see?"  quoth  Chestree. 

"No,  sir,  but  I'll  answer  for  its  efficacy.  The  first  time 
two  fellows  got  aboard  the  Frenchman  dripping  wet,  and  one 
of  them  shouted  out,  'The  captain's  surrendered!  the  ship's 
on  fire!  lay  down  your  arms!'" 

"What,  in  French?"  said  I. 

"Yes,  sir.  And  they  did  lay  down  their  arms.  The 
second  time  was  not  immediately  successful,  for  the  man 
was  shot  in  the  act  of  grasping  the  flag-halliards.  But  half 
the  crew  believed  the  alarm  given  was  true,  and  a  good  many 
of  them  jumped  overboard,  and  the  English  got  possession 
easily." 

"There  goes  the  bos'un's  pipe  for  all  hands!"  exclaimed 
Chestree,  jumping  up  and  unfolding  his  long  body  as  he 
soared  out  of  his  chair,  like  a  boa-constrictor  lifting  its  head. 

The  clear  whistle  came  shrilly  down  through  the  open 
skylight,  and  we  all  ran  on  deck.  The  sun  was  near  his 
setting,  and  the  water  astern  of  us  lay  like  a  sheet  of  spark- 
ling gold  under  the  ardent  light.  The  land  to  leeward, 
shelving  away  down  to  Shelness  Point,  was  just  a  mere 
greenish  film,  and  stretching  out  upon  our  port  bow  was  the 
horizon  of  the  North  Sea.  The  breeze  had  moderated  again, 
and  the  schooner,  with  a  slight  inclination  of  her  masts,  was 
running  as  noiselessly  as  the  shadow  of  a  cloud  over  the 
long-drawn  tender  undulations  of  the  water,  that  in  places 
was  shifting  its  blue  into  dark  green,  while  the  sea  in  the 
east,  toward  which  we  headed,  was  a  dark  violet,  and  hazy 
where  it  met  the  sky. 


THE  CHASE  OF  THE  ARMED  LUGGER.     37 

The  whole  of  the  ship's  company  had  assembled  on  the 
main  deck,  and  I  had  now  an  opportunity  of  judging  the  full 
strength  and  appearance  of  the  crew.  There  were  ninety 
men  in  all,  not  counting  officers,  and  a  determined,  hearty 
set  of  fellows  they  looked.  They  filled  the  deck  from 
abaft  the  foremast,  and  presented  a  perfect  bulwark  of 
broad  chests  and  whiskered  faces.  The  suggestion  of  their 
physical  qualities  was  prodigiously  helped  by  the  rows  of 
long  guns  which  flanked  them  on  either  hand ;  and  as  they 
stood  in  the  setting  sunshine,  the  shadows  of  the  delicate 
rigging  lacing  their  figures  and  lying  in  slender  bars  upon  the 
white  decks,  while  the  mold  of  the  vessel  was  beautifully 
defined  by  the  black  line  of  the  bulwarks  against  the  dark- 
ening surface  of  the  waters,  and  the  tapering  bows,  termi- 
nating in  the  long  bowsprit  and  jibboom,  that  arched  out 
like  a  wand  over  the  deep,  as  though  a  magician  stood  in 
the  head  of  the  schooner  and  pointed  the  way,  from  which 
the  jibs  soared  in  rounded  curves — methought  I  had  never 
witnessed  a  more  picturesque  scene,  nor  one  fitter  to  brighten 
a  man's  eye  and  set  his  heart  dancing. 

Shelvocke  threw  the  end  of  his  cigar  overboard,  and,  com- 
ing forward,  got  upon  the  flag-locker  that  stood  lashed  in 
front  of  the  skylight,  in  order  that  he  might  see  over  the 
heads  of  the  men  in  the  van  of  the  crowd.  Everybody  was 
as  quiet  as  death,  and  there  was  not  a  sound  aloft,  for  the 
wind  held  the  sails  as  steady  as  though  they  had  been  carved 
in  marble,  and  the  only  audible  noise  was  the  cool  tinkling 
of  water  under  the  bows. 

"  My  lads,"  said  Shelvocke,  looking  a  fine  imposing  man, 
as  he  stood  erect,  and  extending  his  right  hand,  and  speak- 
ing in  a  voice  the  subdued  power  of  which  made  me  guess 
what  its  full  force  would  be,  "  I  have  called  you  aft,  not  to 
listen  to  a  speech — for  I'm  a  plain  sailor  without  the  gift  of 
the  gab — nor  do  I  mean  to  tell  you  what  your  duty  is,  for 
that,  I  take  it,  you  know,  but  merely  to  hear  what  my  plans 
are.  My  purpose  is  to  do  as  much  mischief  as  I  can  to  the 
enemy's  merchant-ships,  and  to  fill  our  pockets  with  the 
fruits  of  their  industry,  as  they  have  filled  theirs  at  the  ex- 
pense of  ours.  We  have  the  Yankees  as  well  as  the  French 
to  work  upon,  and  we  must  hope  for  some  decent  pickings, 
men.     At  the  same  time  it  is  not  my  intention  to  lead  you 


38  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

into  needless  perils.  Our  business  is  not  to  engage  Govern- 
ment vessels,  but  to  capture  cargoes.  But  should  I  ever 
think  it  necessary  for  the  honor  of  the  glorious  flag  under 
which  we  sail,  to  show  the  enemy  that  we  are  as  little 
afraid  of  his  ships  of  war  as  we  are  of  his  merchantmen,  I 
shall  hope  to  be  nobly  supported  by  you.  It  may  be  our 
luck,  sometime  or  other  to  restore  to  privateering  a  little  of 
the  credit  that  belonged  to  it  before  English  seamen  took 
their  notions  from  costa-gardas  and  picaroons.  Anyway, 
we  shall  always  endeavor  to  act  like  Englishmen,  and  though 
we  are  not  allowed  to  carry  a  pennant  at  the  mast-head,  the 
smartness  and  the  discipline  aboard  our  little  Tigress  shall 
make  her  an  example  for  ships  whose  quarter-decks  sparkle 
with  epaulets." 

This  simple,  but,  as  I  thought,  judicious  harangue  raised 
a  cheer;  the  crew  were  then  divided  into  watches,  and  the 
starboard  watch  went  below.  I  now  saw  that  the  routine 
to  be  observed  was  precisely  the  same  as  that  of  the  mer- 
chant service.  This,  on  the  whole,  was  a  wise  plan,  since 
every  man  aboard,  from  the  captain  to  the  youngest  boy, 
had  been  bred  in  trading-vessels,  and  would  work  more 
easily  in  the  customs  he  was  used  to,  than  in  a  system  bor- 
rowed from  the  Navy.  I  therefore  found  myself  at  the 
head  of  the  port  watch,  with  Tapping  as  my  sub;  while 
Chestree  and  Peacock  took  the  starboard,  or  captain's 
watch. 

It  was  a  little  after  eight  o'clock,  the  night  as  clear  as 
silver  with  the  moon,  in  whose  white  light  the  shadows  of 
the  rigging  on  the  deck  looked  like  drawings  in  India-ink 
on  marble.  We  were  abreast  of  the  North  Foreland,  head- 
ing so  as  to  fetch  the  Goodwin  Sands  to  the  eastward.  The 
breeze  was  blowing  very  languidly,  and  what  there  was  of  it 
was  over  the  stern.  On  the  starboard  hand  the  Kentish 
cliffs  hung  pallid  and  beetling  on  the  sea-line. 

The  watch  on  deck  were  grouped  about  the  forward  guns, 
and  the  men  on  the  lookout  paced  the  forecastle  with  the 
regularity  of  machines.  One  would  have  thought  that  the 
Tigress  had  been  six  months  at  sea,  so  settled  was  the  look 
of  everything,  so  completely  had  the  men  adjusted  them- 
selves to  the  new  craft.  Yet  it  seemed  strange  to  me, 
who  was  used  to  big  Indiamen,  to  feel  that  here  we  were 


THE  CHASE  OF  THE  ARMED  LUGGER.     39 

sailing  along  without  a  destination.  The  moonlight  flood- 
ing the  sea  in  the  south  gave  us  a  wide  range  of  horizon, 
but  nothing  was  in  sight,  nor  was  it  very  likely  that  we 
should  meet  with  anything  good  for  our  account  hereabouts. 

We  held  on  in  this  way  for  about  an  hour  until  we  had 
brought  the  north  end  of  the  Goodwins  abeam  of  us,  and 
there  lay  these  deadly  sands  running  in  a  dark  line  athwart 
the  reflection  of  the  moonlight,  and  the  water  so  quiet  that 
not  the  merest  purring  or  breaking  ripples  reached  the  ear. 
Shelvocke,  an  inveterate  smoker,  was  puffing  at  a  cigar  near 
the  tiller,  and  presently  he  called  me  to  him. 

"After  what  we  have  seen  of  the  schooner's  behavior  in 
the  river  to-day,"  said  he,  "  and  the  way  in  which  she  slides 
now,  with  no  more  wind  aloft  than  a  lady's  fan  would  raise, 
I  think  that  we  may  have  confidence  enough  in  her  heels  to 
stand  in  to  the  French  shore.  Even  the  capture  of  a  coaster 
would  hearten  the  men,  and  at  all  events  anything  French 
(unless  it  be  the  privateers)  that  swims  without  consort  is 
pretty  sure  to  keep  the  forts  close  aboard." 

"  As  we  go  we  head  dead  for  the  coast  below  Dunkirk, 
sir." 

'•'Ay,  it  is  a  pity  the  moon  isn't  astern  of  us.  She 
smothers  everything  in  the  south,  and  shows  us  up  against  the 
water  in  the  north.  But  this  is  beautiful  weather,  Mr.  Madi- 
son. I  never  tasted  a  softer  air,  and  the  discharge  of  me- 
teors might  make  a  man  think  he  is  in  the  Malacca  Straits. 
Those  guns  give  the  decks  a  solemn  look,  don't  they?  But 
yonder' s  the  boy  I  pin  my  faith  to,"  said  he,  pointing  to  the 
twenty-four  pounder. 

"  No  vessel  sighting  us  would  believe  that  a  vessel  of  our 
tonnage  carried  such  metal." 

"No.  I  don't  say  we  are  not  overweighted,  but  a  gale 
of  wind  will  have  to  prove  that.  If  I  discover  that  we 
have  too  much  iron  top-hamper  I  shall  drop  a  couple  of  the 
eighteens,  and  two  of  the  carronades  may  follow  if  the  neces- 
sity arises.  But  I  will  stick  to  my  long  Toms.  I'd  rather 
mount  a  couple  of  heavy  guns  than  a  whole  broadside  of  the 
pea-shooters  which  the  Admiralty  are  furnishing  to  their 
small  craft.  I  haven't  a  word  to  say  against  carronades  for 
close  action,  but  what  use  can  a  man  make  of  pieces  which 
will  not  carry  much  further  than  a  boy  can  sling  a  stone?" 


40  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

I  was  about  to  make  some  answer,  when  I  thought  I  saw 
a  flash  of  light  down  in  the  west  of  south,  that  dyed  that 
part  of  the  horizon  with  a  pale  blue  glare. 

"Was  that  lightning  or  a  gun?"  I  exclaimed. 

"Where  away?"  he  asked  quickly. 

I  pointed  over  the  line  of  sand  that  barred  the  silver 
water.  He  peered,  and  we  both  listened.  No  report  fol- 
lowed, but  in  a  few  moments  there  was  another  sharp  glare. 

"There's  a  flash  of  guns  in  the  southward,  sir!"  sung  out 
one  of  the  men  on  the  lookout. 

Presently  we  saw  another  faint  flash;  and  I  thought,  but 
I  could  not  be  sure,  that  I  heard  the  rumble  of  an  explosion. 

"Put  your  helm  up,  and  let  her  go  off  a  bit,"  said  Shel- 
vocke  to  the  fellow  who  was  steering.  "  Keep  her  at  south 
half  west.  So,  Mr.  Madison,  get  the  fore  and  after  sheets 
eased  off,  and  loose  the  square  canvas." 

This,  with  the  topsail,  jib,  and  topmast  studding-sail,  in- 
creased our  progress ;  but  the  night  was  so  still,  and  the 
movements  of  the  schooner  so  quiet,  that,  as  she  rose  and 
sank  upon  the  gentle  swell  that  tenderly  swung  along  the 
bosom  of  the  water  out  of  the  northeast,  one  would  never 
have  imagined  that  she  was  making  headway,  until,  by 
looking  over  the  side,  one  saw  the  bubbles  in  the  moonlight 
slipping  past,  and  heard  the  delicate  churning  of  the  water- 
under  the  counter. 

We  kept  a  bright  lookout,  but  no  more  flashes  were  seen. 
This  cessation  convinced  me  that  the  glare  had  been  pro- 
duced by  guns,  for  had  it  been  lightning  there  would  have 
been  more  of  it.  By  this  time  the  north  end  of  the  Good- 
wins was  well  on  the  starboard  quarter,  and  the  line  of  sands 
running  away  at  an  angle  from  our  jibboom.  By  order  of 
the  captain  I  went  forward  with  a  glass,  and  climbed  as 
high  as  the  fore-topgallant-yard,  from  which  point  I 
searched  the  sea  ahead;  but  the  moonlight  flung  a  haze 
that  confused  its  own  brilliance;  and  though  a  great  space 
of  water  was  lighted  up,  it  was  like  looking  at  a  sheet  of 
dull  illuminated  silver. 

I  remained  aloft  for  about  ten  minutes,  gazing  intently  at 
the  point  where  we  had  seen  the  flashes,  and  then  descended, 
noticing,  as  I  did  so,  the  green  phosphorescent  line  that  was 
vivid  at  intervals  round  the  sides  of  the  vessel  as  she  lifted 


THE  CHASE  OF  THE  ARMED  LUGGER.     41 

and  sank,  and  the  showers  of  dew  occasionally  falling  from 
the  sails,  which  were  dark  with  the  damp,  and  doing  their 
work  the  better  for  the  moisture.  I  returned  aft,  and  re- 
ported that  nothing  was  to  be  seen. 

"  Send  a  hand  on  to  the  topsail-yard, "  exclaimed  Shel- 
vocke.  "  Something  has  occurred  in  the  southa'rd,  and  we 
must  mind  what  we  are  about." 

I  passed  the  word  along,  and  a  man  jumped  into  the  fore- 
shrouds.  Three-quarters  of  an  hour  passed,  and  for  the 
third  time  I  hailed  the  lookout  man  to  know  if  he  saw  any- 
thing. 

"No,  sir;  there's  nothing  in  sight,"  was  the  answer. 

"It  was  perhaps  only  sheet-lightning,  after  all,"  said 
Shelvocke ;  but  I  thought  otherwise. 

We  paced  the  deck  together  for  some  time,  and  he  then 
dived  below  for  a  glass  of  grog.  The  moon,  by  veering  to 
the  westward,  had  brought  her  light  on  the  starboard  bow; 
the  sky  was  so  clear,  that  down  upon  the  very  water-line  the 
stars  were  burning  like  fire-flies.  Mr.  Tapping  was  walk- 
ing up  and  down  the  lee-side  of  the  deck,  when  he  suddenly 
stopped,  and  in  the  haze  of  light  that  came  from  the  cabin 
through  the  skylight  I  saw  him  put  his  hands  to  both  ears, 
and  stand  in  an  eager  listening  posture.  I  watched  him. 
Presently  he  turned  and  said : 

"  Did  you  hear  anything  just  now?" 

"Nothing,"  I  answered. 

"  I  fancied  I  heard  a  sound  like  a  man's  voice  hallooing," 
said  he. 

I  crossed  over  to  his  side  of  the  deck,  and  we  both  lis- 
tened. The  men  forward  were  as  mute  as  statues;  the  foot- 
falls of  the  hands  on  the  lookout  were  as  soft  as  though  they 
trod  in  their  socks,  only  now  and  again  the  stillness  was 
broken  by  the  creak  of  a  block  or  the  moan  of  water  along- 
side. The  deck,  save  in  the  bows  of  the  vessel  where  the 
lookout  men  were  moving,  was  like  a  painted  picture  in 
the  moonshine;  the  motionless  shadows  of  the  men,  like 
carvings  in  jet,  branched  from  their  feet;  aloft  the  canvas 
was  sleeping,  save  when  now  and  again  the  swell  shook  a 
fold  of  sail  against  the  rigging,  and  the  large  yellow  stars 
looked  steadily  down  through  the  tracery  of  ropes. 

"I  hear  nothing,"  said  I. 


42  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

"It  wasn't  my  fancy  either!"  exclaimed  Tapping,  look- 
ing like  an  immense  bull-frog,  with  his  rounded  legs,  long 
arms,  and  immensely  square  body  in  the  white,  deceptive 
light.  "  It  sounded  like  a  human  cry.  I'm  not  often  de- 
ceived. I've  got  ears  that  will  hear  through  a  brick  wall, 
sir." 

Shelvocke  came  on  deck  again ;  and  seeing  Tapping  and 
me  standing  in  an  attitude  of  listening,  he  stepped  up  to  us 
and  asked  what  the  matter  was.  I  told  him  that  Tapping 
believed  he  had  heard  a  cry. 

"What  sort  of  aery,  Mr.  Tapping?"  inquired  Shelvocke. 

"A  human  cry  coming  out  of  the  sea,  sir,"  responded 
Tapping  poetically. 

"The  plot  thickens,"  said  Shelvocke.  "Damme,  the 
night  seems  full  of  mysteries.  Heard  you  anything,  Mr. 
Madison?" 

"No,  sir;  though  here  have  I  been  listening  for  some 
minutes." 

I  had  scarcely  shut  my  mouth,  when  Tapping  cried  out 
triumphantly,  "There,  captain.  Mr.  Madison,  I  wasn't 
mistaken,  sir." 

Indeed  he  was  not,  for  both  Shelvocke  and  I  had  dis- 
tinctly heard  a  thin,  reedy  cry,  more  like  the  imitation  by 
a  ventriloquist  of  a  remote  voice  than  a  real  sound — a  faint, 
unearthly  "Hillo,"  coming  it  was  impossible  to  say  from 
where. 

"There's  some  one  hailing  us.  sir,"  shouted  a  voice  for- 
ward. 

"Topsail-yard,  there!"  called  Shelvocke;  "do  you  see 
any  sign  of  a  boat  about?" 

"No,  sir." 

"  Search  the  sea  to  leeward.  Look  brightly  around  you." 
And  after  a  pause,  "Well?" 

"I  don't  see  anything,  sir,  either  to  windward  or  to  lee- 
ward," answered  the  man. 

"That  is  extraordinary  too!"  exclaimed  Shelvocke. 
"  Here,  Mr.  Tapping,  take  the  glass  and  jump  aloft  and 
give  me  your  report." 

As  Tapping  went  up  the  main-shrouds  the  hail  was  re- 
peated. It  was  a  most  distressful  cry,  a  little  more  dis- 
tinct this  time. 


THE  CHASE  OF  THE  ARMED  LUGGER.     43 

"A  sail  on  the  weather-bow!"  shouted  the  man  from  the 
topsail-yarcl. 

"Ay,  ay,  there  she  is,  sure  enough,"  said  Shelvocke,  in 
a  low  voice,  extending  his  hand. 

"I  think  there  are  two  of  them,  sir!"  sung  out  the  man. 

I  looked,  and  could  just  distinguish  a  smudge  upon  the 
horizon.  That  we  had  not  seen  it  before  was  owing  to  the 
haze  of  the  moonlight  catching  the  vessel  laterally,  so  as  to 
fling  upon  her  just  enough  radiance  to  render  her  invisible 
upon  the  silvered  sky  in  that  quarter.  But  the  ha^e  had 
left  her,  and  veered  to  the  westward,  and  there  was  the 
vessel,  a  mere  smirch  indeed,  but  distinct  enough. 

I  ran  below  for  a  second  telescope,  and  handed  it  to  Shel- 
vocke.    He  took  a  long  look,  and  exclaimed : 

"The  man  is  right — there  are  two  of  them!"  and  gave 
me  the  glass,  the  magnifying  power  of  which  was  consider- 
able ;  but  so  vague  and  deceptive  was  the  light  down  in  the 
southeast,  where  the  vessels  lay,  that  the  lenses  merely  re- 
solved the  one  smirch  that  was  visible  to  the  naked  eye  into 
two  dark  blotches  upon  the  sea,  both  close  together ;  but  no 
idea  could  be  formed  of  the  rig  or  size  of  the  distant  craft. 
While  I  was  working  away  with  the  glass,  the  plaintive 
shout  we  had  before  heard  arose  clear  in  the  air,  and  it  was 
no  longer  possible  to  mistake  either  the  character  or  the 
direction  of  it. 

"There  is  a  man  overboard  somewhere  near  us!"  sung 
out  one  of  the  men  forward. 

"Ay,  ay;  keep  a  sharp  lookout  for  him,"  answered  Shel- 
vocke. "  Mr.  Madison,  call  some  hands  aft  to  stand  by  the 
peak  halliards  and  braces.  Get  your  gaff-foresail  brailed 
up,  and  swing  the  fore-yards.  Some  hands  aft  here,  ready 
to  man  and  lower  away  the  cutter." 

These  orders  were  repeated  by  me,  and  executed  quietlj 
and  quickly.  The  helm  was  put  down  and  the  schooner  lay 
with  her  head  close  to  the  light  air,  her  way  arrested  by  her 
yards  being  aback,  and  a  whole  crowd  of  seamen  were  on 
her  starboard  bulwarks  looking  around  upon  the  surface  of 
the  dark  water  for  the  man  that  had  hailed  us,  for  we  had 
now  brought  the  moon  right  astern,  and  the  sea  was  as 
black  as  ebony  for  half  a  mile  away  from  the  schooner's 
side  to  the  north  and  east,  though  it  changed  to  a  pallid 


44  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

hue  from  that  point,  growing  a  more  defined  gray,  until  it 
became  an  ash-colored  line  against  the  liquid,  dark  sky, 
just  as  a  fog  with  a  light  burning  in  it  gradually  brightens 
toward  the  illuminated  centre. 

We  all  stood  listening.  Over  and  over  again  I  thought 
I  saw  a  dark  object  in  the  water,  but  it  was  only  a  decep- 
tion of  the  shadows  swayed  by  the  undulation  of  the  swell. 
Prom  time  to  time  exclamations  broke  from  the  men : 
"There  he  is!"  "Look  yonder,  mate!  close  against  that 
star  there!"  and  so  forth,  but  these  cries  were  always  fol- 
lowed* by  a  gruff  "No,  no!" 

Not  having  heard  his  hail  for  some  minutes,  most  of  us 
believed  that  the  man  had  sunk,  for  the  last  time  he  had 
sung  out  it  was  certain  that  he  was  close  enough  to  enable 
us  to  see  a  boat  or  a  spar,  or,  in  short,  anything  bigger 
than  a  human  head,  and  I  had  no  doubt  that  he  had  fallen 
overboard  from  one  of  the  vessels  away  in  the  gloom,  and 
that  his  strength  had  at  last  failed  him,  when,  to  the  as- 
tonishment of  everybody,  his  lusty  shout  was  heard  close 
aboard. 

"  Lower  away  a  boat,  for  God's  sake,  good  people,  and 
pick  me  up!     You'll  be  ahead  of  me  in  a  minute!" 

This  appeal,  in  good  English,  made  some  of  the  men  laugh. 
Tapping  sprang  into  the  cutter,  and  the  boat  was  lowered. 

"Pull  gently,  and  mind  how  you  go,"  shouted  Shelvocke, 
"or  you'll  run  over  him.     He's  not  far  off!" 

The  water  flashed  up  under  the  oars,  and  a  few  strokes 
carried  the  boat  a  dozen  fathoms  away.  I  saw  Tapping  in 
the  stern-sheets,  and  a  hand  in  the  bows,  standing  up  and 
peering  around  them.  The  men  pulled  another  stroke. 
We  then  heard  voices  and  a  splash,  and  presently  the  grind 
of  thole-pins  as  the  boat  came  toward  us. 

"Have  you  got  him?"  cried  Shelvocke. 

"Yes,  sir,"  answered  Tapping. 

"  Let  him  lie  where  he  is.  We'll  hoist  him  in  with  the 
boat,"  said  Shelvocke,  on  which  the  boat  came  alongside, 
the  crew  jumped  aboard,  and  the  falls  being  manned,  the 
cutter  soared  out  of  the  water  as  though  a  giant  forked  her 
up  through  the  sea  on  the  end  of  a  pike. 

"Get  all  plain  sail  made  again,  Mr.  Tapping,"  said  I. 
"Haul  round  those  yards  forward." 


THE  CHASE  OP  THE  ARMED  LUGGER.     45 

I  went  up  to  the  captain,  who  waited  while  the  stranger 
in  the  cutter  uncoiled  himself,  and  asked  him  how  we 
should  head. 

"As  we  go,  for  the  present,"  he  answered.  "Keep  your 
eyes  on  those  vessels  yonder.  We  shall  be  able  to  see  more 
of  them  as  the  moon  draws  to  the  westward." 

I  ogled  the  craft  again  through  the  glass,  but  they  were 
nothing  more  than  a  couple  of  blotches,  and  I  rather  fancied 
by  the  look  of  them  that  the}7"  were  drawing  away  from  us. 
I  put  down  the  glass,  and  walked  aft,  where  Shelvocke  was 
speaking  to  the  man  we  had  picked  up.  He  was  a  hulking 
fellow,  with  a  great  cork-jacket  under  his  armpits,  which 
made  him  look  like  a  turtle  mounted  on  a  pair  of  human 
shanks.  The  moonlight  sparkled  in  a  pool  of  water  under 
his  feet,  and  in  the  drops  hanging  from  his  hawk's-bill  nose 
and  well-thatched  eyebrows.  His  face  in  the  light  was  as 
white  as  the  planks  under  him,  and  with  the  bloated  ap- 
pearance of  his  body,  that  reduced  his  legs  in  comparison 
to  the  thickness  of  a  couple  of  capstan-bars,  and  the  odd 
manner  in  which  his  arms  overhung  the  top  of  the  cork- 
jacket,  he  looked  a  very  alarming  object,  and  a  proper  sight 
for  a  painter  in  search  of  a  study  for  a  nautical  ghost. 
However,  he  was  perfectly  fresh,  and  gazed  around  him 
coolly,  and  when  the  steward  handed  him  a  rummer  of  grog 
that  had  been  brought  by  order  of  the  captain,  he  drank  to 
us  with  a  pleasant  nod,  and  said  that  he  would  take  an- 
other drop  when  he  had  dried  his  clothes. 

"You  shall  go  and  dry  your  clothes  at  once,"  said  Shel- 
vocke, laughing  at  the  fellow's  sang-froid;  "  but  perhaps 
you  will  tell  me  first  what  those  vessels  are  yonder?" 

"  One's  a  French  armed  lugger,  and  t'other's  an  English 
cutter  of  sixty  ton,"  answered  the  man. 

"  Do  you  know  how  many  guns  the  Frenchman  carries?" 

"  I  don't,  sir;  I  took  no  notice  of  that;  but  she's  full  of 
men." 

On  this  Shelvocke  told  the  steward  to  take  the  man 
below,  and  give  him  a  shift  of  clothes ;  then,  jumping  on  a 
gun-carriage,  he  took  another  long  squint  at  the  vessels, 
which  we  had  now  brought  a  couple  of  points  on  the  lee 
bow. 

"We'll  have  the  story  presently,   Madison,"  said  hej 


46  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

"but  if  the  flashes  we  saw  came  from  the  guns  of  those 
craft,  the  cutter  must  have  proved  an  easy  capture.  I 
shall  attack  the  lugger — she  will  serve  as  practise  for  the 
men." 

"  She  appears  to  have  the  cutter  in  tow,  sir, "  said  I, 
with  my  eye  at  the  glass,  "  and  to  judge  by  the  mann°r  in 
which  they  are  creeping  away,  they  are  using  their  sweeps. 
However,  we  are  not  stationary,"  I  added,  looking  down 
into  the  water,  and  observing  the  long  threads  breaking 
away  from  the  schooner's  bows,  and  rippling  out  of  the 
darkness  into  lines  of  silver  as  they  went  astern  athwart 
the  moon.  Yet  the  breeze  was  very  faint,  and  our  fore- 
and-aft  canvas  hung  up  and  clown  without  further  move- 
ment than  such  as  was  from  time  to  time  communicated  by 
the  soft  swaying  of  the  schooner  over  the  delicate  swell. 

Presently  Tapping  came  up  to  the  captain. 

"The  steward  reports  the  man  ready  to  see  you,  sir." 

"Let  him  come  aft." 

The  man,  who  in  his  dry  attire  proved  to  be  a  more 
comely  object  than  I  had  imagined,  approached  Shelvocke, 
who  stood  with  me  near  the  skylight,  the  haze  from  him 
enabled  us  to  have  a  good  sight  of  the  stranger.  There 
was  something  of  the  fisherman's  trot  in  his  gait  as  he 
came  along  the  deck,  and  he  had  stowed  away  a  large  junk 
of  tobacco  in  his  cheek  that  threw  the  skin  into  a  knob, 
behind  which  fell  a  short  slant  of  lank  black  whisker.  His 
eyes  were  dark,  quick,  and  gleaming,  and  there  was  a  set, 
resolute  expression  in  the  whole  face  of  the  man  that  per- 
suaded me  his  bread  was  not  earned  in  peaceful  pursuits. 

"  Well,  my  man,  how  are  you  after  your  bath?" 

"  Eight  enough,  sir,  thank'ee.  A  cork  jacket  ben't  like 
swimming,  though.  I  reckon  I  lay  in  the  water  more  than 
an  hour." 

"  What  do  you  know  about  those  vessels  yonder?" 

"  Why,  you  see,  I  happen  to  be  one  of  the  crew  of  the 
cutter.  We  were  heading  to  fetch  the  Nor' -sands-head, 
when  the  lugger  hove  in  sight,  coming  right  down  upon  us. 
I  don't  know  how  it  was  that  none  of  us  took  no  notice  of 
her  until  she  was  a  couple  of  miles  off.  Anyway,  we 
thought  we'd  stop  to  see  what  she  meant  to  do,  but  as  she 
drew   near,  rattling  down  upon  us   under  her  sweeps  as 


THE  CHASE  OF  THE  ARMED  LUGGER:     47 

though  she  carried  a  stiff  breeze  astern,  we  saw  that  she 
was  a  sight  too  big  for  us,  and  crowded  with  men.  So  we 
up  helm,  and  tried  to  edge  away,  but  there  was  no  wind, 
and  as  we  only  carried  twenty  men,  our  captain  sung  out 
that  it  would  be  useless  to  fight  him.  He  hailed  us  as  he 
came  along,  and  we  answered  that  we  were  English,  on 
which  he  let  drive  three  guns,  though,  after  he  had  fired 
the  first  shot,  our  skipper  called  out  to  say  he  had  surren- 
dered. I  never  waited  to  see  what  happened  after  this, 
but  laying  hold  of  a  cork  jacket  I  strapped  myself  up  in 
it  and  dropped  overboard,  preferring  to  take  my  chances  of 
drowning  to  starving  in  a  French  prison.  That's  just  the 
story,  gentlemen,"  said  the  fellow,  shifting  the  quid  of 
tobacco  from  one  cheek  to  the  other  with  his  tongue. 

"What's  the  name  of  the  cutter?"  asked  Shelvocke. 

"The  Happy-go-Lucky,  sir." 

"  What  is  she— a  trader?" 

The  man  hung  in  the  wind  so  long  that  I  thought  he  did 
not  mean  to  answer  the  question.  At  last  he  exclaimed 
with  great  vehemence,  "Capt'n,  I'll  not  tell 'ee  a  lie. 
False  speaking  '11  sarve  no  end,  and  this  ben't  a  king's 
ship  neither.  The  Happy-go-Lucky' 's  in  the  contraband 
line,  a  smuggler  they  calls  her;  and  so  you  have  it,  gentle- 


men." 


"Pooh!  pooh!"  said  Shelvocke,  " we  must  recapture  the 
Happy-go-Lucky  and  put  you  aboard  again.  That  will  do. 
If  you  want  some  supper  the  steward  will  provide  you." 

The  man  went  forward  and  Shelvocke  gave  a  low  whistle, 
looking  around  the  silent  sea  that  lay  without  a  tremor 
under  the  wide  space  of  moonlight.  There  was  indeed 
scarcely  any  air  to  be  felt  now ;  the  stars  hung  their  reflec- 
tion in  the  water  without  a  blur,  and  the  moonshine  made 
the  horizon  so  misty  that  one  would  have  thought  a  fog 
was  wreathed  around  the  circle.  It  was  only  by  straining 
the  sight  that  I  could  obtain  a  glimpse  of  the  vessels  ahead. 

'•  If  this  lasts,  Master  Frenchman  will  get  away  from 
us,"  said  Shelvocke.   "But  it  cannot  be  helped." 

"  Is  it  worth  while  to  out  boats  after  him,  sir?" 

"No,  the  recapture  is  no  great  matter,  and  the  job  is 
certainly  not  worth  tiring  the  men  over.  Capturing  these 
luggers  is  about  as  profitable  as  catching  flies.     They  are 


48  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

the  proper  prey  of  the  cruisers,  but  the  Tigress  wants 
larger  and  better-stocked  holds  than  those  boats  carry.  I 
suppose,"  he  continued,  laughing,  "the  Happy- go- Lucky 
was  running  for  one  of  the  gaps  to  the  westward  of  the 
North  Foreland.  I  am  told  that  the  cliffs  thereabouts  are 
honeycombed  by  the  smugglers.  It's  reckoned  a  naughty 
trade,  but  upon  my  soul,  I  can't  find  it  in  me  to  denounce 
it.  The  revenue  is  so  completely  no  man's  property  that 
you  can't  realize  the  notion  of  any  one  robbing  it." 

"Either  the  horizon  gets  thicker  or  Johnny  Frog 
is  drawing  away  fast,  sir,"  said  I;  "I  don't  see  him 
now." 

"You're  looking  in  the  wrong  place;  there's  one  of 
them,  at  all  events,  yonder,  like  a  bit  of  mother-o' pearl  in 
the  moonlight.  Aye,  and  there's  the  other  close  to  her. 
I  knew  their  sails  would  be  hove  up  when  the  moon  got 
more  to  the  westward." 

He  pointed  into  the  south,  where,  sure  enough,  I  saw 
the  sails  of  the  lugger  glimmering  like  a  waning  star. 
The  schooner  had  no  steerage-way,  and  I  had  been  de- 
ceived in  the  situation  of  the  Frenchman  by  the  Tigress' 
head  having  fallen  off. 

Shelvocke  went  below  and  I  paced  the  deck  alone,  while 
Tapping  flitted  about  the  gangway  like  a  spectre,  snuffing 
about  for  the  wind,  and  in  various  demonstrative  ways 
exhibiting  his  disgust  at  the  calm.  This  time  last  night 
we  were  lying  snug  in  dock,  with  the  hum  of  the  distant 
metropolis  in  the  air;  and  now  here  we  were  with  the  sea 
all  around  us,  an  enemy  in  sight,  and  a  certainty  of  burn- 
ing powder  should  a  breeze  spring  up.  But  these  quick 
transitions  are  the  very  spirit  of  a  sailor's  life;  and  of 
privateering  the  peculiar  fascination  lies  in  the  rapidity  of 
the  changes  of  scene  it  opens  up,  the  suddenness  of  the 
dangers  and  escapes,  and  the  permanent  and  delightful 
sense  of  expectation  it  raises  in  a  man. 

Keeping  my  eyes  pretty  constantly  fixed  on  the  pale 
shadow  in  the  southeast,  I  did  at  last  clearly  perceive  that 
it  was  receding  from  us  fast,  and  soon  after  six  bells  neither 
I  nor  Tapping  nor  the  lookout  men  could  discern  the  least 
sign  of  the  vessels.  Not  more,  however,  than  a  quarter  of 
an  hour  elapsed  after  we  lost  sight  of  them,  when  the 


THE  CHASE  OF  THE  ARMED  LUGGER.     49 

water  in  the  direction  in  which  they  had  vanished  grew 
sharp  and  black  under  the  stars. 

"  I  think  there  is  some  wind  coming  from  yonder, "  I 
exclaimed  to  the  third  mate.  "  If  so,  we  shall  be  able  to 
hook  our  Frenchman  cleverly,  for  it  is  dead  on  end  for 
him." 

Tapping  sprang  on  to  one  of  the  guns. 

"Ay,  there's  the  wind,  sir!"  he  shouted.  "It's  ruling 
a  dark  line  as  it  comes ;  I  see  it  breaking  up  the  starlight, 
sir!" 

It  was  a  strong  puff,  and  it  breezed  down  upon  us  rap- 
idly. I  ordered  the  square  canvas  to  be  furled,  and  by  the 
time  the  men  were  aloft  the  wind  was  all  about  us  and  the 
schooner  lying  down  to  it,  every  sail  as  flat  as  a  pancake ; 
the  water  squirting  up  under  the  bows  and  flashing  white 
with  threads  of  green  fire  alongside  and  far  away  astern. 
At  the  first  coming  of  the  breeze  the  captain  arrived  on 
deck. 

"We  have  our  friend  now,  I  think,"  said  he  quietly; 
"  and  he  is  welcome  to  the  weather-gauge  with  the  wind 
dead  off  the  French  coast.  See  all  clear,  Mr.  Madison, 
and  have  the  lanterns  lighted ;  but  let  them  be  hidden,  for 
Johnny  may  not  have  yet  smelt  us,  and  we'll  have  the 
benefit  of  his  doubts." 

The  boatswain's  pipe  rang  clear  and  shrill  upon  the 
wind  that  was  now  humming  a  pretty  tune  aloft,  and  scur- 
rying away  with  a  booming  note  from  under  the  foot  of  the 
huge  mainsail.  The  men  responded  to  this  their  first  call 
to  quarters  with  a  smartness  that  delighted  Shelvocke.  In 
a  few  minutes  they  were  all  at  stations,  tompions  out, 
boxes  of  canister  and  grape  at  the  carronades,  and  a  grum- 
met of  round-shot  at  every  gun.  There  was,  as  might  have 
been  expected,  some  little  confusion  at  first,  but  a  few 
orders  set  everything  to  rights;  and  there  they  stood, 
ninety  of  them,  ready  for  whatever  might  come,  while  the 
Tigress  snored  along,  apparently  defying  the  influence  of 
the  light  swell,  ana  the  water  crackling  away  to  leeward 
like  underbrush  on  fire  and  blowing  up  in  white  smoke,  as 
though  the  stem  of  the  schooner  was  a  torch  and  her  pas- 
sage through  gunpowder. 

A  few  large  clouds  came  sailing  up  with  this  wind,  look- 
4 


50  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

ing  like  big  sheets  of  wadding  as  they  neared  the  moon  ; 
but  as  she  ducked  to  them  and  hid  her  light,  the  horizon, 
strangely  enough,  grew  clear :  and  in  one  of  these  intervals, 
when  the  cloud-shadows  covered  the  sea  and  the  water-line 
lay  sharp  against  the  stars  like  a  ruling  in  India-ink,  we 
spied  the  glimmering  vessels,  like  bits  of  wool,  to  wind- 
ward, about  three  points  on  the  port-bow. 

This  was  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour  after  the  breeze 
had  started  us.  The  excitement  now  began  to  grow  lively. 
Here  was  the  Tigress,  jammed  close  up  to  the  wind,  not 
only  overhauling,  but  weathering  upon  the  two  vessels, 
both  of  which,  we  might  be  sure,  were  fast  boats;  indeed, 
we  had  the  evidence  of  the  man  we  had  picked  up  that  the 
smuggler  was  "  built  for  walking  away,  and  that  there  was 
nothing  on  the  coast,  that  could  touch  her,"  which  I 
thought  probable  enough,  seeing  that  one  of  the  conditions 
of  success  in  contraband  traffic  is  speed  in  sailing;  while, 
on  the  other  hand,  the  French  privateer  luggers  were 
famous  the  world  over  for  the  beautv  of  their  bottoms,  the 
strength  of  their  fabrics,  and  the  nimbleness  of  their  heels. 
So  if  nothing  more  came  of  this  chase,  yet  as  a  specimen 
of  what  the  Tigress  could  do  with  her  main-boom  almost 
amidships  and  the  weather-leech  of  the  flying  jib  trembling 
like  the  fly  of  a  flag,  the  adventure  was  worth  the  attempt. 

Shelvocke  and  I  kept  our  glasses  pointed  at  the  vessels. 
I  expected  every  moment  to  see  them  go  about,  as  the 
Frenchman  stood  a  poor  chance  on  this  board.  He  was 
fast  opening  the  cape  to  the  westward  of  Calais,  and  once 
clear  of  that,  we  should  have  the  Channel  as  far  as  Barfleur 
clear  to  run  him  down  in. 

"Can  you  make  out  the  cutter,  Mr.  Madison?"  said 
Shelvocke. 

"Yes,  sir;  the  sternmost  one  is  she,"  I  replied,  for  she 
looked  the  smaller  of  the  two. 

"Ay,  you  are  right:  but  surely  the  lugger  hasn't  got  the 
cutter's  tow-rope  aboard  still!" 

I  watched  them  for  some  minutes,  and  then  called  out : 

"  There's  some  manoeuvring  going  on  between  them,  sir. 
They  have  closed." 

"  Steady !"  shouted  Shelvocke  to  the  helmsman.  "  How 
does  she  go?" 


THE  CHASE  OF  THE  ARMED  LUGGER.     51 

"She  breaks  off,  sir." 

"Good!  'Bout  ship,  Mr.  Madison.  Smartly,  now!  a 
short  board  will  clap  us  between  Johnny  and  his  home!" 

The  helm  was  put  down,  the  canavs  thundered  as  the 
schooner  shot  into  the  wind,  and  in  a  minute  she  was  on 
the  starboard  tack  biting  fiercely  into  the  short  black  run- 
ning seas  with  lines  of  foam  trailing  down  her  stem,  like  the 
salival  froth  dropping  from  the  jaws  of  a  bloodhound  on 
the  scent,  and  ratching  swiftly  to  the  eastward. 

"Ha!"  I  exclaimed,  "I  thought  they  were  up  to  some 
game,  sir.  See,  they  have  set  fire  to  the  cutter,  and  yonder 
goes  the  lugger  on  the  same  tack  as  ourselves." 

All  that  could  be  distinguished  for  some  minutes  was  a 
little  spark  on  the  water  in  the  direction  where  we  had 
last  seen  the  cutter.  It  grew  brighter  and  larger,  and  a 
line  of  black  smoke  went  blowing  low  over  the  tossing  and 
tremulous  tract  of  moonlit  sea.  In  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
the  little  vessel  was  blazing  freely,  casting  a  small  cir- 
cumference of  red  light  upon  the  air,  and  staining  the 
water  a  blood-red  under  her  hull. 

Hearing  a  commotion  among  a  group  of  men  stationed  at 
one  of  the  guns  forward,  I  called  to  know  what  was  the 
matter. 

"Please  your  honor,"  replied  a  voice,  "it's  the  smug- 
gling cove  cursing  the  Frenchman  for  burning  his  wessel. 
He  says  all  his  clothes  and  wallybles  is  aboard,  and  two- 
an' -forty  pound  in  money." 

I  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  poor  fellow  shaking  his  long 
arm  over  the  bulwark  and  quivering  about  on  his  legs,  but 
took  no  further  notice.  Meanwhile  the  lugger  was  stretch- 
ing to  windward,  apparently  sailing  very  fast,  though  with 
every  foot  of  the  road  we  measured  we  drew  nearer  to  her. 
Indeed,  now  that  we  had  a  fast  chase  on  the  weather  bow, 
we  could  estimate  the  Tigress'  powers  of  weathering  accu- 
rately. With  spars  erect,  she  walked  to  windward  as 
though  she  were  being  warped  that  way.  I  had  expected 
much  of  her,  but  not  so  much  as  she  was  giving  us.  Only 
a  sailor  can  sympathize  with  the  strong  feeling  of  delight 
and  pride  that  fired  me  when,  looking  forward,  I  felt  the 
wind  blowing  through  my  teeth  as  though  it  rattled  clean 
over  the  bowsprit,  and  then  glancing  astern,  I  marked  the 


52  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

schooner's  wake  running  away  into  the  pale  haze  of  moon- 
light as  straight  as  a  mill-race  speeds  from  the  foaming 
wheel.  By  the  lugger's  having  set  fire  to  the  cutter,  it  was 
plain  that  she  had  taken  us  for  an  enemy,  and  that,  true  to 
the  Frenchman's  marine  policy,  her  business  was  to  es- 
cape. So  far  as  the  wind  was  concerned,  she  was  in  as  bad 
a  plight  as  she  could  well  suffer  from,  if  she  was  afraid  of 
us  and  wanted  the  shelter  of  her  own  coast,  for  the  wind 
was  blowing  dead  along  the  course  she  would  have  liked  to 
make. 

The  clouds  were  now  tumbling  up  out  of  the  sea,  and 
slanting  athwart  the  stars  pretty  thickly,  and  the  water 
was  full  of  shadows,  amid  which  the  moonshine  fell  down 
in  lines  like  slender  cascades  of  molten  silver,  touching  the 
black  troubled  surface  here  and  there  with  points  of  bril- 
liance as  sparkling  as  the  flash  of  diamonds,  while  the 
breaking  waves  glittered  like  the  star-dust  in  the  sky,  as 
their  foam  crossed  the  path  of  these  beams;  but  down  in 
the  west  the  smuggler  cutter  was  making  a  great  blaze,  and 
resembled  a  solid  ball  of  fire  on  the  tumbling  surges.  Fore 
and  aft  there  was  a  grim  silence  in  the  schooner,  nothing 
to  be  heard  but  the  swarming  of  the  passing  water  and  the 
confused  harping  of  the  wind  among  the  iron-stiff  weather 
standing  rigging. 

A  long  twenty  minutes  went  by,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  the  lugger  loomed  larger,  not  above  a  point  on  the 
weather-bow. 

"Round  she  goes  again,  sir!"  I  shouted  out,  seeing  the 
shadow  of  the  sails  of  the  Frenchman  fine  as  he  slued  upon 
his  heels. 

"Ready  about  ship!"  sung  out  Shelvocke,  in  a  voice  that 
seemed  to  ring  across  the  sea.  "  Stand  by  to  fire  the  bow- 
chaser  as  she  goes  round." 

There  was  a  short  pause  as  the  helm  was  jammed  over  to 
leeward,  and  then,  while  the  canvas  rattled  overhead  as 
though,  like  an  angry  dog,  the  wind  had  seized  the  sails  in 
its  teeth  and  was  furiously  shaking  them,  and  while  the 
schooner  chopped  up  and  down  upon  the  rising  seas,  which 
poured  in  foam  against  her  bows;  and  while  every  block 
rattled  like  a  gigantic  dice-box  to  the  jerking  of  the  swing- 
ing booms  and  sheets,  a  broad  glare  of  light  flashed  upon 


THE  CHASE  OF  THE  ARMED  LUGGER.     53 

the  darkness,  throwing  up  the  figures  of  the  men  as  they 
stood  around  the  guns,  and  every  spar  and  rope  and  the 
seams  of  the  deck,  like  a  colored  picture  flung  for  an  in- 
stant by  a  powerful  red  light  upon  a  black  cloth,  followed 
by  a  heavy  explosion,  while  the  smoke  of  the  gun  whirled 
away  to  leeward  and  gleamed  like  a  torn  silk  veil  as  it  sped 
across  the  sea. 

This  was  the  first  gun  ever  fired  aboard  the  Tigress,  and 
the  report  of  it  was  followed  by  a  loud  cheer  from  the  men. 
In  a  few  moments  the  sails  were  trimmed,  and  the  schooner 
was  on  the  port-tack,  having  doubled  upon  the  chase  like  a 
hound  upon  a  fox. 

"They'll  guess  our  metal  by  that  ball  if  it  dropped  any 
where  near  them,"  said  Shelvocke  to  me;  "and  if  so,  I 
hope  they'll  give  up  trying  to  dodge  us." 

"There  she  speaks,  sir!"  I  exclaimed,  as  a  spark  winked 
at  the  stern  of  the  lugger ;  but  wherever  the  shot  fell,  it 
did  not  drop  within  our  ken.  In  a  few  minutes  we  yawed, 
and  gave  her  another  dose  from  the  bow-gun,  and  then  a 
third,  as  fast  as  the  men  could  load.  It  was  too  dark,  and 
she  was  too  far  off  for  us  to  see  if  our  shot  struck  her ;  but 
though  there  could  be  no  doubt  that  she  was  within  range 
of  the  long  twenty-four,  Shelvocke  stopped  firing  at  her 
after  the  third  discharge.  In  truth,  we  were  coming  up 
with  her  fast,  and  with  a  little  patience  we  should  be  able 
to  give  her  a  broadside,  for,  in  petty  work  of  this  kind,  it 
is  best  to  save  powder  until  you  can  make  it  do  what  you 
want. 

The  lugger  had  only  fired  once;  she  held  on  in  silence 
and  darkness — the  foam  in  a  heap  to  leeward  of  her,  and 
the  stars  whirling  over  her  mast-heads  as  she  reeled  under 
the  beam  swell.  By  this  time  we  had  weathered  on  her  so 
effectually  as  to  have  her  dead  on  a  line  with  our  jibboom. 

Suddenly  Shelvocke  sang  out  for  the  starboard  guns  to 
give  her  a  broadside. 

"Aim  low!  I  had  rather  the  balls  should  go  under  than 
over  her,"  he  exclaimed,  and,  with  a  motion  of  the  hand, 
directed  the  helm  to  be  put  down.  As  the  schooner  came 
up  in  the  wind,  the  whole  five  guns  were  let  fly  at  the 
lugger ;  the  blaze  of  light  striking  the  eye  used  to  the  dark- 
ness was  blinding,  and  the  explosion  was  like  half  a  dozen 


54  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

thunderbolts  falling  upon  the  deck.  Still  the  lugger  held 
on  without  swerving  a  hair's  breadth  out  of  her  course,  and 
apparently  no  more  injured  than  had  we  blown  through  a 
pea-shooter  at  her. 

"  That  is  what  the  lawyers  call  contumacy, "  said  Shel- 
vocke,  peering  at  the  Frenchman  through  a  glass.  "  It's 
quite  certain  that  we  haven't  winged  her.  Can  she  be 
within  range,  Madison?  This  light  is  so  confoundedly  de- 
ceptive, that  she  might  be  two  or  five  miles  off." 

"Nearer  two  than  five,  sir.  I  don't  quite  see  through 
her  moves.  It  doesn't  look  as  if  she  meant  to  fight  us. 
Perhaps  she  hopes  to  run  us  within  sight  of  one  of  her 
cruisers." 

"Try  her  with  another  shot  from  the  forecastle." 

The  order  was  given,  the  schooner  luffed,  and  the  gun 
fired.  We  looked  to  see  the  effect  of  this  shot;  but  if  any 
mischief  had  been  done,  it  was  not  indicated  by  the  vessel's 
movements.  All  this  while  the  wind  had  been  gradually 
freshening,  and  was  now  blowing  a  strong  breeze  with  a 
windy-looking  sky,  and  a  waning  moon  in  the  west  that 
stooped  among  the  clouds  like  an  ill-balanced  paper  kite. 
The  Tigress  had  now  as  much  canvas  on  her  as  she  could 
bear.  She  lay  over  until  the  water  was  almost  level  with 
her  lee  gun-ports:  the  sea  was  a  whole  smother  of  foam 
around  her;  the  spray  flashed  in  smoke  over  her  forecastle, 
and,  when  the  moonlight  streamed  upon  the  canvas,  you 
could  have  seen  the  standing  jib  dark,  half-way  up  it,  with 
the  saturation  of  the  flying  water.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
Frenchman  was  as  stiff  as  a  church,  albeit  she  carried  an 
enormous  press  of  canvas  proportionally  out  and  away 
greater  than  we  were  pelting  under. 

I  was  mentally  reckoning  how  long  it  would  take  us  to 
get  alongside  of  her,  when,  to  the  great  astonishment  of 
everybody  who  was  watching,  she  put  her  helm  up  and 
went  swirling  away  to  leeward,  dead  before  the  wind,  with 
her  lugs  boomed  out  on  either  side.  Our  puzzlement  was 
supreme.  It  seemed  as  mad  a  thing  as  the  Frenchman 
could  be  guilty  of.  He  was  not.  only  running  away  from 
his  own  coast,  but  he  was  bringing  the  southern  limb  of 
the  Goodwin  Sands  dead  under  his  stem;  and  unless  he 
presently  hauled  his  wind  so  as  to  make  a  more  westerly 


THE  CHASE  OF  THE  ARMED  LUGGER.      55 

course,  he  must  iuevitably  run  ashore.  However,  one 
must  fain  go  where  the  devil  drives.  The  helm  of  the 
schooner  was  put  up,  the  sheets  eased  off,  and  hands  sent 
aloft  to  loose  the  square  canvas. 

Blowing  now  as  it  was  right  over  our  stern,  the  wind 
appeared  to  have  calmed  amazingly ;  but  soon  it  grew  ap- 
parent that  in  scudding  the  lugger  was  more  than  our 
match.  Half  our  sails  were  becalmed,  the  gaff  foresail 
useless,  and  even  the  mainsail  gave  but  little  help ;  whereas 
the  Frenchman,  by  booming  out  his  lugs,  made  every  cloth 
serviceable,  and  we  saw  him  skimming  away  in  the  gloom 
ahead  of  us  like  a  huge  sea-bird  swept  over  the  surges  by 
its  expanded  wings.  Still,  he  had  hooked  himself  dead 
under  our  lee,  with  our  broadside  to  windward,  and  the 
Goodwin  Sands  to  leeward  of  him.  In  this  posture  it  was 
impossible  for  him  to  escape  us,  and  so  none  of  us  took  it 
much  to  heart  that  he  improved  his  distance,  or  that  the 
Tigress  lagged  a  little,  seeing  the  schooner  never  yet  was 
built  that  proved  herself  a  fast  ship  with  the  wind  dead 
astern  of  her. 

We  bowled  along  in  this  way,  keeping  a  bright  lookout 
all  around  us,  for  this  was  a  wind  to  give  activity  to  the 
enemy's  cruisers,  and  any  moment  might  show  us  the  can- 
vas of  a  big  ship.  Eight  bells,  midnight,  were  struck,  and 
as  the  last  bell  was  echoing,  I  dropped  the  glass  I  was 
holding  to  my  eye  as  I  hung  over  the  starboard  bulwarks 
to  get  a  clear  view  of  the  lugger  that  was  glimmering  upon 
the  darkness  a  long  way  ahead,  with  the  reddish  moon 
shining  close  down  upon  the  sea  to  the  right  of  her,  and 
said  to  Shelvocke  that  the  chase  seemed  to  be  growing 
smaller  and  smaller;  that  not  long  ago  I  could  distinctly 
make  out  her  black  hull,  but  that  it  was  now  indistin- 
guishable. 

"Surely,"  said  I,  "she  can't  be  forging  ahead  so  fast  as 
all  that,  sir." 

He  took  the  glass  from  me,  and  had  a  long  squint  at 
her. 

"Why,  as  you  say,  Mr.  Madison,  she  does  appear  to 
have  grown  remarkably  small  on  a  sudden.  I  don't  see 
anything  of  her  hull  at  all  now.  And  has  she  any  notion 
where  she's  bound  to,  I  wonder?"     He  paused  and  counted 


56  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

upon  his  fingers.  "  Send  a  hand  on  to  the  topgallant- 
yard,"  he  exclaimed.  "The  sands  can't  be  more  than  a 
couple  of  miles  distant  by  the  look  of  that  light  down  there. 
Sid  him  keep  a  sharp  lookout  for  breakers.  We  must 
mind  that  that  fellow  does  not  lead  us  into  a  mess." 

A  man  went  aloft,  and  I  waited  to  hear  if  he  had  any 
thing  to  report,  but  no  hail  came  from  him.  I  walked  aft 
to  look  at  the  compass,  and  was  standing  there  with  my 
eyes  fixed  on  the  card,  and  feeling  rather  fretful  over  this 
prolonged  chase,  and  thinking  of  the  small  amount  of  glory 
and  still  smaller  amount  of  profit  we,  as  privateersmen, 
should  get  out  of  the  capture  of  this  lugger,  and  doubting 
whether  we  had  not  clone  better  to  jog  quietly  down  Chan- 
nel, reserving  our  powder  and  our  heels  for  a  wholesome 
cargo  and  daylight,  instead  of  dodging  about  after  a  nimble 
and  subtle  chase  under  the  perplexing  moonlight,  when 
Peacock  sung  out  in  his  soft  flute-like  voice  from  the  waist : 

"  They'  re  burning  a  blue  light  aboard  the  Frenchman,  sir !" 

I  sprang  to  the  side  to  look,  and  there  sure  enough  was 
the  lugger  illuminated  by  the  blue  fire,  and  looking  as 
though  she  had  been  revealed  by  a  flash  of  lightning,  the 
outline  of  her  sails  clearly  marked,  and  the  whole  square 
form  of  her  pulsating  in  the  fluctuating  light,  like  the  glow 
of  phosphorus  rubbed  on  the  wall  of  a  dark  chamber; 
while  at  quick  intervals  she  fired  guns,  sometimes  two  at  a 
time,  the  white  flames,  as  they  spurted  from  her  sides, 
contrasting  with  really  grand  effect  with  the  ghastly  radi- 
ance of  the  blue  fire  and  the  black  surface  of  the  water  and 
the  masses  of  clouds  pouring  over  the  now  moonless  sky. 

"Those  are  clearly  distress-signals!"  exclaimed  Shel- 
vocke,  who  stood  close  beside  me.  "  Surely  she  cannot 
have  taken  the  ground.  Hail  the  topgallant-yard,  and  see 
if  the  lookout  man  makes  broken  water  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  lugger." 

But  the  answer  was  that  the  sea  looked  clear  enough  all 
that  way. 

"The  lugger  has  hauled  the  wind,  sir!"  shouted  Ches- 
tree,  with  his  eye  to  the  glass.  "  She  is  standing  to  the 
norrard — no!  she  is  slueing  right  up  into  the  wind!" 

She  was  now  firing  to  right  and  left,  as  though  she  were 
pouring  broadsides  into  an  enemy  on  either  side  of  her, 


THE  CHASE  OF  THE  ARMED  LUGGER.      5? 

"  Get  the  square  canvas  clewed  up,  Mr.  Madison — brail 
up  the  foresail — shorten  sail  fore  and  aft,  and  let  her  drive 
down  easily.  I  must  see  where  we  are;"  and  while  Shel- 
vocke  dived  below  to  have  a  look  at  the  chart,  I  half 
stripped  the  schooner  of  her  canvas  and  set  the  lead  going. 
The  soundings  gave  us  eighteen  and  twenty  fathoms  of 
water;  besides,  the  tumble  of  the  sands  was  not  yet  in 
sight,  and  all  hereabouts  was  a  fair-way  channel,  so  we 
might  be  sure  the  lugger  was  not  ashore.  Was  there  any- 
thing wrong  aboard  of  her?  or  were  her  distress-signals 
merely  meant  as  a  ruse  to  bring  us  alongside,  unsuspicious 
of  the  reception  she  would  give  us? 

Suddenly  her  blue  lights  went  out  and  she  ceased  firing. 
At  this  moment  Shelvocke  came  on  deck. 

"  The  chart  gives  six  and  seven  fathoms  almost  along- 
side the  sands,"  said  he.     "Where  is  the  lugger?" 

"Yonder,"  I  answered,  indicating  the  spot  where  I  had 
seen  her  a  minute  before. 

He  looked,  and  then  asked  me  for  the  glass.  He  looked 
again. 

"I  don't  see  her,"  said  he.     "Try  you." 

I  levelled  the  glass,  but  there  were  no  signs  of  the  lugger 
where  I  expected  to  find  her. 

"How's  her  head?"  I  called  out,  thinking  that  the  wind 
had  veered,  and  brought  the  chase  into  other  bearings. 

"West  by  north,  sir,"  came  the  answer  from  the  helm, 
and  this  was  the  course  we  had  been  steering  since  the 
lugger  ran  off  before  the  wind. 

"Very  odd,"  said  I,  sweeping  the  sea  to  right  and  left 
of  the  schooner's  bows.  "I  can  see  nothing  of  her.  For- 
ward there!  can  you  make  out  the  chase?" 

"No,  sir;  she's  gone  down,  I  think,"  was  the  reply  after 
a  lengthy  pause. 

"Then  some  of  our  shot  must  have  told,"  exclaimed 
Shelvocke.  "  They  did  not  burn  their  blue  light  and  fire 
their  guns  for  nothing.  No  doubt  they  took  the  crew  of  the 
cutter  aboard  before  setting  fire  to  her.  For  God's  sake,  go 
forward,  Mr.  Madison!"  he  added,  apparently  greatly  agi- 
tated, "  and  look  about  you  for  any  of  her  people  in  the 
water. " 

I  made  my  way  along  the  main  deck  that  was  thronged 


58  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

with  the  men  still  at  quarters,  and  reached  the  forecastle. 
The  sea,  away  on  the  port-bow,  was  a  coal-black  line  against 
the  sky  that  was  yet  pallid  with  the  reflection  of  the  moon, 
though  she  had  been  sunk  below  the  horizon  some  time,  and 
all  to  the  north  the  stars  were  burning  brilliantly  enough 
to  define  any  shadow  leaning  against  them.  Had  the  lugger 
been  afloat  I  must  certainly  have  seen  her. 

"  My  lads,"  I  exclaimed  to  the  men  on  the  lookout,  "  there 
can  be  no  doubt  the  Frenchman  has  foundered.  She  had 
some  of  our  countrymen  aboard.  Keep  your  eyes  upon  the 
sea  and  your  ears  open,  for  we  are  close  to  the  spot  where 
she  disappeared." 

We  hung  over  the  bows,  gazing  earnestly  at  the  water, 
that  was  streaked  with  the  foam  of  breaking  surges,  and 
straining  our  ears  for  a  human  cry.  The  seas,  however, 
were  so  short  and  confused,  and  the  showering  of  the  spray 
so  heavy  as  it  was  blown  off  the  heads  of  the  waves  that  the 
strongest  swimmer  battling  among  them  would  have  been 
speedily  overcome.  We  had  drifted,  according  to  my  cal- 
culations, about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  beyond  the  spot  where 
the  Frenchman  had  foundered,  when  the  man  on  the  top- 
gallant-yard reported  breakers  ahead  on  the  starboard  bow. 
As  these  would  be  the  Goodwin  Sands,  the  helm  was  put 
over  and  the  schooner  hove  to,  and  lanterns  slung  over  her 
sides,  and  in  this  manner  we  lay  for  half  an  hour,  every 
soul  aboard  of  us  eagerly  searching  the  surrounding  water. 

But  it  was  all  to  no  purpose.  Our  shot  had  evidently 
knocked  a  hole  in  the  lugger  that  let  in  water  more  quickly 
than  her  crew  could  pump  it  out.  She  had  sunk,  and  not  a 
vestige  of  her  nor  her  people  was  to  be  seen,  though  ninety 
pairs  of  eyes  hung  over  the  bulwarks  of  the  Tigress,  and  the 
lanterns  flung  a  lustre  that  made  the  surface  of  the  water 
clear  for  a  dozen  fathoms  away. 

I  went  aft  and  reported  to  the  captain  that  none  of  the 
crew  of  the  lugger  was  to  be  seen. 

"It's  a  bad  job,"  he  exclaimed.  "Those  luggers  are 
usually  as  full  of  men  as  a  hive  is  of  bees,  and  I  should  be 
sorry  to  guess  how  many  human  souls  have  gone  to  their 
account  this  night.  Worst  of  all,  they  had  the  crew  of  the 
cutter  aboard,  and  we  have  destroyed  our  own  countrymen. 
Yet  it  could  not  be  helped!  so  let  the  hands  trim  sail  now, 


THE  CHASE  OF  THE  ARMED  LUGGER.      59 

Mr.  Madison,  and  send  the  port  watch  below.  The  first  ex- 
ploit of-  the  Tigress  has  not  been  a  brilliant  one,  but  it  has 
proved  abominably  murderous." 

And  more  affected  than  I  should  have  believed  possible 
in  a  man  of  his  resolution  and  experience,  he  quitted  the 
deck. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE    ACTION    WITH    THE    CORVETTE. 

The  watch  having  been  called,  I  went  below  tired  out, 
and  throwing  myself  into  my  bunk,  fell  into  a  sound  sleep 
in  a  few  minutes.  I  was  aroused  at  four  o'clock,  and  went 
on  deck,  and  found  the  dawn  bright  in  the  east,  and  the 
schooner,  under  easy  canvas,  hugging  the  wind  and  head- 
ing west-southwest.  Indeed,  the  wind  had  chopped 
around,  and  was  blowing  off  the  English  coast,  the  nearest 
point  of  which  was  Dungeness,  though  not  only  was  there 
no  land  in  view,  but  the  weather  was  so  thick  that  the 
horizon  lay  at  a  distance  of  not  more  than  two  miles 
around  us. 

I  had  hoped  that  when  the  morning  broke  the  haze  would 
lift;  but  when  the  sun  rose  and  hung  over  the  sea-line  like 
the  bottom  of  a  newly  scoured  copper  kettle,  the  fog  came 
down  as  thick  as  a  feather-bed,  and  blew  in  steam  across 
the  deck.  It  was  all  a  blank  to  within  three  ship's  lengths 
ahead  of  us.  The  green  seas  came  curling  and  foaming 
out  of  the  fog  to  windward,  but  you  could  not  see  one  inch 
beyond  the  point  at  which  their  forms  grew  defined,  and 
they  went  combing  in  curves  as  polished  as  oil  to  leeward, 
vanishing  instantly  when  they  came  in  contact  with  the 
fog -cur tain. 

The  breeze  was  warm,  but  the  damp  made  it  uncomforta- 
ble. The  decks  were  so  slippery  that  it  was  not  easy  to 
keep  one's  footing.  The  moisture  fell  in  showers  from  the 
rigging,  and  drops  of  water  formed  at  the  brim  of  my  hat 
as  fast  as  I  could  shake  them  off. 

At  four  bells  the  watch  turned  out  to  wash  down.  There 
were  so  many  men  to  perform  this  job  that  it  was  soon 
over,  and  the  decks  being  cleared  up  and  the  rigging  coiled 
down,  the  schooner  took  a  more  comfortable  air;   but  the 


THE  ACTION  WITH  THE  CORVETTE.  61 

fog  remained  unpleasantly  dense,  and  sometimes  settled 
down  so  thick,  that  the  inner  jib  was  not  to  be  seen  from 
the  binnacle.  Fortunately  we  had  plenty  of  sea-room,  for 
the  French  coast  that  edged  away  to  the  southward  gave  us 
a  broad  stretch  of  water  to  leeward,  we  were  clear  of  the 
Ridge,  and  had  good  soundings  for  leagues. 

"But  fogs  of  this  nature  were  tolerably  fruitful  of  dis- 
agreeable surprises;  at  any  moment  an  enemy's  hooker 
might  ooze  out  of  the  thickness  and  be  aboard  of  us.  I 
therefore  took  care  to  see  everything  clear,  and  stationed 
some  experienced  hands  as  lookout  men,  keeping  my  own 
"weather  eye  lifting,"  as  we  say  at  sea,  and  enjoining 
Tapping  to  follow  my  example.  Indeed,  the  man  we  had 
picked  up  on  the  previous  night  had  told  Shelvocke  that 
his  cutter  had  been  chased  during  the  afternoon  by  a  large 
French  corvette,  who,  finding  that  she  could  not  overhaul 
the  little  smuggling  craft  in  the  light  wind  then  prevailing, 
put  her  helm  up,  and  apparently  returned  to  her  cruising 
ground,  which  the  man  believed  to  be  between  Calais  and 
Lornel  Point.  We  had  no  particular  wish  to  come  across 
this  Frenchman,  who  was  described  as  mounting  very 
heavy  batteries  and  a  great  deal  too  big  for  us  to  handle ; 
but  if  our  smuggler  was  right,  she  was  undoubtedly  some- 
where in  the  neighborhood,  and  it  would  be  no  great  joke 
for  the  fog  suddenly  to  clear  and  expose  the  beauty  lying 
close  enough  to  deliver  a  broadside  before  we  could  give  the 
schooner  canvas  enough  to  get  away. 

Shortly  before  eight  bells  Shelvocke  came  on  deck,  and 
seeing  how  matters  stood,  and  that  the  breeze  was  dropping, 
the  order  was  passed  along  for  the  men  to  keep  silence,  also 
for  no  bells  to  be  struck,  and  for  the  leadsman  to  speak  his 
report  in  a  low  tone  to  a  hand  stationed  by  his  side  for 
the  purpose  of  bringing  his  messages  aft  to  the  officer  in 
charge.  In  addition  to  this,  the  foresail  was  securely 
brailed  up  and  the  staysail  and  inner  jib  hauled  down  to 
silence  their  flapping;  and  the  schooner,  under  her  main- 
sail and  standing-jib,  glided  slowly  up  and  down  over  the 
breathing  swell,  as  silent  as  a  dead-house,  and  amid  a  fog 
as  impenetrable  as  a  blanket. 

At  eight  o'clock  I  went  below  to  breakfast,  the  Tigress 
being  in  charge  of  Tapping. 


62  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

I  have  a  lively  recollection  of  our  mess  table  aboard  this 
privateer.  Shelvocke  was  a  bon  vivant ;  he  had  a  liberal 
owner  in  Hannay;  moreover  his  experience  in  victualling 
vessels  for  rich  East  India  passengers  was  large,  so  that 
few  men  knew  better  how  to  furnish  a  table  than  he.  We 
sat  down  to  a  breakfast  fit  to  place  before  a  prince. 

"And  if  there  is  anything  wanting,"  said  Shelvocke  with 
his  fine  smile,  "  Monsieur  Crapeau  shall  supply  it.  He  is 
a  distinguished  cook,  and  understands  the  secrets  of  diges- 
tion. And  why  should  not  we  be  well  served,  Madison? 
As  well  feed  the  inmate  of  a  palace  on  hard  salt  junk  and 
give  majesty  to  drink  of  rancid  water,  as  ill-provision  the 
commander  and  officers  of  such  a  glorious  little  hooker  as 
the  Tigress." 

"These  be  noble  sentiments,  captain,"  said  I. 

"  Yet  historians  say  that  the  reason  why  the  ancient 
Komans  were  licked  by  the  northern  savages  was  because 
they  were  too  fond  of  roast  peacock  and  the  juice  of  the 
vine,"  observed  Chestree. 

_  "True,  Mr.  Chestree;  but  we  are  not  ancient  Romans, 
sir,"  replied  Shelvocke,  apparently  surprised  that  a  man 
like  Chestree  should  know  anything  about  the  ancient 
Romans,  "  nor  have  we  savages  to  fight  with.  Mr.  Madi- 
son there  is  no  blunder  more  deplorably  stupid  than  the 
notion  that  well-fed — mind,  I  don't  say  over-fed— men 
won't  do  their  work  properly.  Yet  men  of  the  type  of 
the  late  Lord  Howe— buckramed  Britons  with  a  yard  of 
marlinespike  down  their  backs — will  tell  you  that  good 
officers  are  only  to  be  got  by  rearing  young  fellows  on 
coarse  food.  I  remember  the  first  lieutenant  of  the  Latona 
—that  was  one  of  the  Channel  fleet  under  Howe  in  the 
action  of  the  first  of  June— telling  me  that  the  old  admiral 
was  always  worrying  the  people  about  him  with  his  opin- 
ions on  eating,  and  that  he  would  say  that  were  he  to  found 
a  state  and  organize  a  fleet,  one  of  his  articles  should 
provide  that  no  officer  of  what  rank  soever  should  con- 
sume better  food  than  the  cube  of  salt  horse  and  the  occa- 
sional dram  of  rum  which  are  supposed  to  form  fo'ksle 
provender  at  sea.  Yet  old  Howe  was  never  tired  of 
stuffing  himself  with  roast  pig,  and  I  have  heard  that 
he  would  swill  port  wine  until  the  Dutch  spirit  he  got  from 


THE  ACTION  WITH  THE  CORVETTE.  63 

his  mother  was  all  on  fire,  and  then  he  would  talk  of 
Anson,  whom  I  believe  he  sailed  with  when  a  youth,  as  a 
person  whose  memory  deserved  his  patronage." 

"But  surely  Howe  was  a  great  admiral,  sir?"  said  I. 

"  A  great  what !  "  shouted  Shelvocke.  "  Why,  it  was  the 
king  who  made  him  a  man.  What  had  Howe,  down  to  '94, 
to  do  with  his  own  advancement?  If  he  only  took  a  trip 
as  far  as  the  Soundings  his  Majesty  sent  him  a  letter,  told 
him  he  was  a  fine  fellow,  and  the  glory  of  his  country,  and 
begged  his  respects  to  madam  and  the  little  Howes.  If  it 
hadn't  been  for  Jervis,  Howe,  in  my  opinion,  never  would 
have  beat  the  French  in  '94.  The  honor  done  that  man — 
merely  because  his  mother  was  the  daughter  of  some  old 
Hanoverian  baron  who  had  been  master  of  the  horse  to 
George  I. — will  be  thought  one  of  the  most  sickening  things 
in  history  when  the  magnifying  glass  of  prejudice  is  crushed 
under  the  wheel  of  time,  when  the  dwarf  is  dismounted 
from  the  shoulders  of  that  short-lived  giant  called  Faction." 

I  could  not  help  smiling  at  Shelvocke' s  warmth,  for 
Howe  had  been  dead  thirteen  years,  and  St.  Vincent  and 
Nelson  had  so  eclipsed  his  achievements  that  his  name  was 
seldom  upon  the  public  tongue.  But  I  afterward  learned 
that  Howe  was  one  of  Shelvocke' s  cherished  aversions,  and 
that  nothing  fired  him  more  quickly  than  to  praise  the  earl 
as  a  good  seaman. 

"This  fog  is  very  bothersome,"  said  I,  willing  to  change 
a  stupid  subject,  and  glancing  up  at  the  skylight  that  lay 
like  squares  of  smoked  glass  over  the  cabin.  "I  don't 
remember  anything  like  this  in  summer,  sir." 

"  It  is  rather  a  nuisance  for  us  privateersmen  that  our 
ships  of  w?ar  should  be  blockading  the  French  ports  all 
round,"  exclaimed  Shelvocke,  lying  back  in  his  chair  with 
a  thoughtful  frown.  "Our  cruisers  whiten  the  offing  from 
Boulogne  to  La  Rochelle,  and  round  to  the  Mediterranean 
as  high  as  the  Gulf  of  Lyons.  I  doubt  if  we  can  hope  for 
much  beyond  recaptures.  I  am  in  favor  of  the  high  seas, 
clear  of  ports  and  forts  and  lee  shores;  though  I  am  un- 
willing to  leave  the  Channel  without  laying  the  foundations 
of  a  banking  account.  We  are  missing  booty  in  my  opin- 
ion, Madison,  by  not  stretching  across  the  Atlantic  and 
endeavoring   to    intercept    some  of    the  homeward-bound 


64  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

American  traders.  But  Hannay  believes  in  the  English 
Channel,  and  I  suppose  I  must  give  his  prejudices  a 
chance.  Mr.  Chestree,  step  on  deck  and  see  how  the 
weather  looks." 

The  second  mate  left  the  cabin,  and  returned  after  an 
absence  of  a  few  minutes.  "It's  as  thick  as  mud,  sir,  and 
there's  very  little  wind,  and  there's  no  appearance  of  it 
clearing."  He  went  on  deck  again,  and  after  Shelvocke 
and  I  had  hung  over  the  chart  a  few  minutes  we  followed 
him. 

It  was  my  watch  below,  but  I  had  no  mind  to  turn  in. 
The  fog  was  irritating  and  burdensome;  I  considered  it  my 
duty  to  be  on  the  alert,  albeit  the  schooner  was  in  good 
trustworthy  hands  with  Chestree  on  deck;  and  moreover 
the  smuggler's  tale  of  the  big  French  ship  cruising  in  this 
neighborhood  gave  every  man  a  reason  why  his  eyes  and 
ears  should  remain  open. 

Although  there  was  very  little  wind,  the  fog  blew 
athwart  the  deck  in  horizontal  lines;  it  was  as  white  as 
steam,  but  not  the  more  penetrable  for  that;  sometimes  it 
would  open  a  little  in  folds  and  disclose  the  water  for 
about  a  cable's  length  from  the  side  of  the  vessel  lying  as 
white  as  though  it  were  full  of  chalk  sediment,  and  not  a 
blur  upon  it,  though  there  was  a  small  ground-swell  upon 
which  the  schooner  rose  and  sank  sluggishly,  but  quite 
noiselessly,  as  everything  had  been  hauled  taut  aloft  and 
the  sheets  flattened  in  to  prevent  the  canvas  from  shaking. 
For  the  most  part,  however,  the  fog  hung  around  and  over 
us  in  a  curtain,  sometimes  so  dense  that  the  men  forward 
could  not  be  seen,  while  the  masts  shot  up  and  disappeared 
in  it  as  if  they  had  been  sawn  short  off  at  the  point  where 
they  vanished. 

Seeing  the  surgeon  smoking  a  pipe  just  abaft  the  galley, 
I  went  over  and  joined  him.  He  had  served  in  a  man-of- 
war,  and  was  a  rather  coarse-looking  person,  but  he  was 
reputed  a  very  skilful  hand,  and  possessed  of  more  human- 
ity than  was  commonly  to  be  found  among  the  ship-surgeons 
of  that  day.  I  always  thought  of  "Roderick  Random" 
when  I  looked  at  him,  for  he  came  very  near  to  the  marine 
medicos  of  that  novel,  with  his  red  hair,  broken  nose,  and 
dirty  linen.     I  spoke  to  him  about  the  illness  I  had  lately 


THE  ACTION  WITH  THE  CORVETTE.  65 


recovered  from,  and  we  then  drifted  into  other  subjects, 
and  I  was  rather  surprised  to  find  how  well  he  talked.  He 
told  me  that  he  was  master  of  four  languages,  and  that  it 
was  more  on  account  of  his  fluency  in  this  respect  than 
because  of  his  professional  knowledge  that  Shelvocke  had 
chosen  him  out  of  three  or  four  dozens  of  applicants  for  the 
berth,  as  it  was  thought  that  his  capacity  of  pronouncing 
these  languages  skilfully  enough  to  deceive  the  ear  of  for- 
eigners might  prove  of  use  in  strategic  measures. 

"I  think  so  too,"  said  I,  "and  heartily  wish  I  had  your 
gift  of  tongues,  Mr.  Corney,"  for  that  was  his  name. 

"How  it  may  be  with  privateering  I  don't  know,"  said 
he;  "but  for  the  British  navy  I  contend  that  no  captaiu 
ought  to  be  allowed  to  take  charge  of  a  ship  of  war  without 
being  able  to  converse  with  tolerable  fluency  in  at  least  two 
languages— say,  French  and  Spanish.  Last  year  an  Eng- 
lish ten-gun  brig  was  surprised  and  fired  into  at  night  by  a 
large  French  vessel,  whose  first  broadside  made  a  perfect 
shambles  of  her  deck.  The  Englishman  wore,  and  under 
cover  of  the  darkness  gave  his  big  enemy  the  slip ;  but  a 
few  hours  later  another  large  Frenchman  came  down  upon 
him,  and  ranging  alongside,  hailed  to  know  who  he  was. 
The  captain  was  about  to  answer,  when  the  second  lieu- 
tenant sung  out  in  pure  Sicilian  that  they  were  the  brig 
Manfredonia,  of  and  from  Palermo,  bound  to  Rio  Para,  on 
which  the  Frenchman  braced  his  yards  round,  and  left 
them.  The  captain  reprimanded  the  lieutenant  for  answer- 
ing the  Frenchman's  hail  without  leave,  and  in  consequence 
the  lieutenant  demanded  a  court-martial  on  his  own  con- 
duct ;  and  the  captain  was  obliged  to  admit  in  court  that 
had  it  not  been  for  the  prompt  answer  of  the  officer  that 
had  completely  deceived  the  Frenchman  the  brig  must  have 
been  taken,  as  half  his  men  were  killed  or  wounded." 

"A  very  good  illustration  in  favor  of  your  argument, 
Mr.  Corney,"  said  I;  "and  I  have  no  doubt  that  many  a 
small,  disabled  English  vessel  might  have  given  the  enemy 
the  slip,  had  she  been  commanded  by  a  linguist  like  your 
second  lieutenant.  But  I  say,  when  is  this  fog  going  to 
clear?  it  is  enough  to  choke  a  man." 

And  truly  it  was  more  ponderous  at  that  moment  than 
at  any  previous  time;    the  helmsman  was  a  mere  looming 
5 


66  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

shadow ;  although  there  was  a  brilliant  sun  shining  over- 
head it  produced  no  other  effect  upon  the  extraordinarily 
thick  mist  than  to  whiten  it;  the  swell  was  fast  subsiding, 
and  the  lines  of  fog,  like  trailing  smoke,  were  barely  driven 
by  the  languid  draught  of  air  that  was  moving  from  the 
north. 

"Hark!  what  was  that?"  I  exclaimed,  holding  the  cigar 
I  was  raising  to  my  mouth  poised  midway,  as  though  I  had 
been  changed  into  stone. 

"  What  did  you  hear?"  whispered  Corney,  looking  first 
into  the  fog  on  the  right  and  then  into  the  fog  on  the  left 
of  the  schooner. 

"Hush!"  I  muttered:  "there  is  a  vessel  near  us." 

I  went  away  to  Shelvocke,  who  was  sitti-ng  on  a  gun- 
carriage. 

"  Did  you  hear  a  noise  like  the  creak  of  a  block  just  this 
minute,  sir?" 

"Like  the  creak  of  a  block?  Where-away ?"  he  ex- 
claimed, jumping  up. 

"I  cannot  say  where  the  sound  came  from,  sir,  but  we 
may  hear  something  more  by  listening." 

I  got  on  to  a  gun  to  give  my  ear  a  good  hoist  above  the 
bulwarks,  and  hearkened  with  rapt  attention,  while  Shel- 
vocke, with  his  head  inclined,  stood  like  a  war-horse  with 
cocked  ears,  waiting.  The  men,  observing  our  posture, 
watched  us  to  know  what  the  matter  was.  There  was  a 
perfect  silence  throughout  the  whole  length  of  the  vessel 
that  was  not  a  little  impressive  when  one  thought  of  the 
crowd  of  living  beings  that  filled  her.  Now  and  again  the 
water  gurgled  alongside,  or  the  rudder  faintly  jarred,  or  a 
timber  groaned;  but  these  last  sounds  were  barely  audible, 
while  aloft  the  canvas  was  quiet  as  a  church-yard. 

On  a  sudden  a  cock  crowed  out  in  the  fog. 

The  noise,  as  I  fancied,  came  from  the  starboard  quarter, 
but  Shelvocke  bent  his  ears  toward  the  starboard  bow. 
Every  man  on  deck  had  heard  the  crow,  and  a  half- 
suppressed  titter  ran  along.  It  was  funny  enough  to  hear 
the  bird's  voice  sounding  from  the  sea,  and  amid  the  dense 
fog,  but  the  humor  was  made  somewhat  grim  by  the  possi- 
bility that  an  enemy  was  close  to  us. 

The  moment  Shelvocke  heard  the  cock,  he  whispered  to 


I  i 


;\b 


"  On  a  sudden  a  cock  crowed  out  in  the  fog." 

— Page  66. 


THE  ACTION  WITH  THE  CORVETTE.  67 

me  to  see  all  clear  and  to  have  the  men  stationed ;  but  they 
were  strictly  ordered  not  to  speak  above  their  breath,  and 
they  went  to  quarters  in  their  bare  feet.  This  was  one  of 
the  strangest,  and  certainly  one  of  the  most  exciting,  experi- 
ences I  had  encountered  since  I  had  been  to  sea.  Here  we 
were  at  quarters,  and  lying  all  breathless,  so  to  speak,  in 
an  impervious  fog  that  hung  in  dense  vaporous  masses  all 
around  us,  in  close  company  with  a  ship  that  was  not  only 
utterly  invisible,  but  whose  very  neighborhood  could  not 
be  guessed,  nor  her  nationality  and  character  imagined. 

Shelvocke  stood  groping  along  the  fog  with  his  eyes.  I 
went  softly  from  one  side  of  the  deck  to  the  other,  fre- 
quently imagining  I  saw  a  dark  outline  looming  amid  the 
vaporous  folds.  Presently  we  heard  a  sound  like  that  of  a 
coil  of  rope  flung  upon  deck,  and  the  rattle  of  shot  or  a 
chain. 

"Where  does  it  come  from,  Mr.  Madison,  think  you?" 
whispered  Shelvocke.  "I  never  knew  anything  more  de- 
ceptive." 

"She  should  be  yonder  if  she's  anywhere  at  all,"  I  an- 
swered, pointing  over  the  starboard  quarter. 

"  I  would  to  heaven  it  would  clear,  that  we  might  obtain 
but  one  glimpse  of  her,"  said  he.  "Were  she  as  big  again 
as  we,  and  an  enemy,  I'd  try  my  hand  on  her,  and  make 
capital  out  of  this  blanket.  Why  do  you  stare?  Do  you 
see  anything?" 

As  he  spoke,  another  cock-crow  rose  shrill  and  clear, 
and  again  a  soft  little  titter  ran  along  the  decks  of  the 
schooner. 

"I  think  I  see  a  sort  of  darkness  out  yonder,  sir,"  said 
I,  pointing  to  the  quarter  in  which  all  along  I  believed  the 
vessel  lying. 

"  Look  a  little  way  to  the  left  of  the  stern  of  the  cutter." 

But  as  I  said  this  the  fog  closed  all  round  again  as  thick 
as  the  smoke  from  the  batteries  of  a  ninety,  and  Shelvocke 
shook  his  head. 

"I  see  nothing,"  he  answered,  and  went  to  the  side  and 
looked  over;  then  returned  to  me.  "She  has  not  an  inch 
of  way  on  her!"  he  exclaimed,  and  motioned  with  his  hand 
to  the  leadsman,  who  was  astride  of  the  bulwarks  just  abaft 
the  fore-rigging. 


68  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

The  fellow  dropped  the  lead  softly.  I  went  to  receive 
his  report,  and  came  back  to  tell  Shelvocke  the  soundings 
made  twenty-two  fathoms. 

Four  bells  were  struck  in  the  fog.  The  tone  was  mar- 
vellously clear,  and  so  close  'as  to  make  me  start,  and  a 
moment  after  we  heard  a  man's  voice  hailing  some  one 
aloft  or  forward  on  the  vessel. 

"What  lingo  was  that?"  exclaimed  Shelvocke,  eagerly. 

"I  only  caught  two  words  'laissez!  laissez I '  which  I 
took  to  be  French  for  'drop  it!'   I  answered. 

"Hush!"  cried  Shelvocke;  and  at  that  instant  another 
voice  called  out  loudly.  This  evidently  came  from  aloft; 
it  seemed  to  be  up  in  the  air,  over  our  heads.  Corney 
came  creeping  along  the  quarter-deck. 

"They're  French  aboard  that  vessel,"  said  he.  "The 
man  who  first  spoke  said:  ' Those  English  are  too  mean  to 
grease  their  masts,  and  here's  a  fine  spar  rotting  !  '  " 

Shelvocke  smothered  a  laugh,  but  looked  grave  enough  a 
moment  after.  He  made  no  remark,  but  walked  aft  and 
stood  looking  over  the  taffrail.  For  some  minutes  we  kept 
staring  and  listening,  and  I  was  beginning  to  think  that  it 
would  end  in  the  vessels  drifting  apart,  and  in  our  getting 
no  sight  of  our  neighbor  if  the  fog  did  not  lift  before  the 
night  came,  when  all  at  once  the  fog  thinned  right  abeam, 
as  though  a  lane  were  opened  in  it  by  a  passage  of  wind, 
and  disclosed  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  white  water,  with 
just  a  faint  spangle  of  sunlight  touching  the  further  ex- 
tremity of  it.  The  folds  of  the  fog  rolling  to  the  south- 
ward, this  lane  went  with  them,  and  when  it  reached  the 
quarter,  there,  standing  in  the  clear  space  of  it,  and  about 
a  pistol-shot  away  from  the  Tigress,  was  a  large  black  ship 
of  not  less  than  six  hundred  tons,  lying  broadside  on  to  us, 
with  great  channels  which  gave  her  rigging  a  tremendously 
wide  spread,  and  immensely  square  lower  yards.  The  fog 
came  down  as  low  as  her  tops,  so  that  all  her  upper  spars 
were  hidden.     She  showed  five  guns  for  her  broadside. 

I  sprang  aft  to  take  her  bearings  by  the  compass,  and 
when  I  looked  again  she  was  gone. 

But  gone  only  to  the  eye,  for  now  that  they  had  seen  us 
the  ear  could  determine  their  whereabouts  with  laughable 
precision.     It  was  evident  that  our  sudden  apparition  had 


THE  ACTION  WITH  THE  CORVETTE.  69 

greatly  alarmed  her  people;  we  heard  a  whole  volley  of 
orders  thundered  out  in  French ;  ropes  were  let  go,  blocks 
squealed,  yards  were  sharply  braced  around.  Indeed,  the 
confusion  was  as  sure  a  sign  as  the  lingo  that  she  was  in 
French  hands. 

"A  merchantman,  and  a  fine  one!"  exclaimed  Shel- 
vocke.     "Pass  the  word  for  Mr.  Comey." 

The  surgeon  was  called,  and  came  up  from  bel  w. 

"  Mr.  Corney,  you  speak  French,  I  believe,  in  a  way  to 
deceive  Frenchmen,"  said  Shelvocke.  "Will  you  please 
hail  that  vessel,  and  get  them  to  tell  you  what  they  know 
of  her?" 

"  What  vessel,  captain?"  said  Corney,  staring  into  the 
fog. 

"Why,  the  vessel  you  can  hear,  sir!" 

"Ho,  the  ship  ahoy!"  shouted  Corney,  funnelling  his 
hands  and  aiming  his  voice  in  the  direction  of  the  hulla- 
baloo. 

At  this  hail  a  silence  fell  upon  the  Frenchman,  and  a 
voice  answered  in  French. 

"What  ship  is  that?"  cried  Corney. 

"Who  are  you  that  inquire?"  came  back  the  reply. 

"  The  French  schooner  St.  Brleux  from  the  north,  bound  to 
St.  Nazaire,"  responded  Corney  promptly.     "And  you?" 

There  was  no  answer  to  this;  instead,  I  heard  a  sound 
uncommonly  like  the  traversing  of  carronade-slides,  accom- 
panied by  more  hauling  and  pulling  and  boxing  about  of 
the  yards. 

" Mind!"  I  sung  out.  "  They  are  making  ready  to  give 
us  a  broadside,  sir.     They  evidently  suspect  us." 

And  sure  enough,  as  I  said  this,  the  white  mist  -flashed 
up  all  crimson,  as  though  a  mine  had  exploded  close  aboard, 
a  heavy  roar  of  artillery  followed,  and  the  sea  was  torn  up 
by  a  shower  of  grape  about  twenty  feet  away  from  us. 

"Let  them  have  it,  men!"  shouted  Shelvocke  in  a  voice 
that  must  immediately  have  let  the  Frenchmen  into  the 
secret  of  the  "  St.  Brietix" — "  aim  as  I  point,  and  high,  to 
cripple  her  for  us  when  the  fog  lifts.  How  does  she  bear, 
Mr.  Madison?" 

" Northeast  three-quarters  east,  sir." 

He  glanced  at  the  compass  and  indicated  the  position  of 


70  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

the  vessel  by  extending  his  hand.  The  guns  were  canted 
and  fired.  In  all  five  pieces  were  discharged,  and  to  judge 
by  the  crashing  and  splintering  of  timber  and  several  sharp 
yells,  the  grape  and  round-shot  had  plumped  faithfully 
home.  Another  broadside  followed  from  the  Frenchman, 
and  again  the  iron  sleet  tore  up  the  water  wide  of  the 
mark.  From  the  heavy,  broad  scattering  of  the  missiles  it 
was  plain  that  they  were  fighting  us  with  carronades,  and 
it  seemed  by  the  explosions  that  the  metal  was  of  heavy 
calibre. 

Our  men,  following  the  direction  indicated  by  Shel- 
vocke,  fired  again,  and  once  more  we  heard  the  grape  rat- 
tling and  tearing  along  the  invisible  deck  and  the  splinter- 
ing and  crashing  of  yards  and  masts  aloft.  If  the  fog  was 
thick  before,  there  remains  no  word  to  express  the  opacity 
of  it  now  that  the  smoke  of  the  cannon  hung  around  us. 
Although,  as  I  have  said,  the  enemy  lay  within  pistol- 
shot,  the  very  flame-spouts  of  his  last  broadside  had  not 
glanced  the  least  reflection  on  the  solid  body  of  smoke  and 
vapor;  the  men  stationed  at  our  guns  could  scarcely  see 
one  another,  and  when  we  fired  our  third  broadside  they 
had  nothing  but  the  recollection  of  the  spot  indicated  by 
the  captain  to  go  by,  for  they  could  not  see  him. 

Five  times  the  Frenchman  fired  at  us,  and  the  last  time 
his  grape  sung  close  along  the  port  side  of  the  schooner, 
showing  they  were  aware  that  their  shot  had  taken  no 
effect  and  that  they  had  shifted  their  aim.  A  little  more 
and  this  broadside  would  have  raked  us,  for  they  fired  with 
depressed  muzzles,  and  their  vessel  was  twice  as  high  out 
of  water  as  ours.  As  it  was,  not  a  single  shot  touched  us; 
we  had  taken  their  bearings,  but  they  had  evidently  not 
taken  ours,  and  it  was  by  omissions  of  this  kind,  apparently 
so  inconsiderable,  but  in  reality  of  the  very  first  impor- 
tance, that  French  naval  officers  lost  most  of  the  vessels  en- 
trusted to  them  by  a  country  whose  reverses  at  sea  were 
only  to  be  equalled  by  its  disasters  on  land. 

We  were  in  the  act  of  giving  them  a  fourth  broadside, 
when  they  hailed  to  say  they  had  surrendered.  Shelvocke 
immediately  ordered  the  pinnace  to  be  lowered  and  manned 
with  twelve  seamen,  in  charge  of  Mr.  Tapping,  with  orders 
to  take  possession.     The  boat's  crew  were  armed  to  the 


THE  ACTION   WITH  THE  CORVETTE.  71 

teeth,  Shelvocke  being  apprehensive  of  treachery;  and  a 
small  compass  being  sent  down,  and  the  vessel's  bearings 
given,  the  pinnace  shoved  off,  and  was  immediately  swal- 
lowed up. 

We  awaited  anxiously  for  Tapping's  hail  to  announce  his 
arrival,  the  men  being  still  at  quarters  and  the  guns  double- 
shotted,  ready  to  bestow  their  terrible  dose  should  the 
boat's  crew  meet  with  any  resistance.  But  we  had  no  fear 
that  the  third  mate  would  overshoot  his  mark,  as  he  had 
the  bearings  of  the  prize ;  and  it  was  certain  from  the  result 
of  our  broadsides,  that  the  vessel  had  not  drifted  half  her 
own  length  from  the  spot  in  which  we  had  sighted  her. 

We  remained  waiting  some  time,  I,  for  one,  expecting 
every  moment  to  hear  pistol-shots  and  the  clash  of  cut- 
lasses, as  I  thought  it  extremely  probable  that  the  French- 
man had  called  for  quarter  as  an  excuse  to  get  his  boats 
out  and  tow  away  from  the  place  in  which  we  had  nailed 
him,  when,  to  our  great  relief,  we  heard  a  shout  from 
Tapping. 

"Hallo!"  answered  Shelvocke. 

"It's  all  right,  sir.  She's  a  splendid  ship.  We've  got 
the  Frenchmen  under  hatches,  and  liberated  the  prisoners." 

"What  the  name  of  the  vessel?" 

"  The  Hanover,  bound  from  London  to  Jamaica.  She 
was  captured  this  morning  at  three  o'clock  by  a  French 
privateer,  and  has  a  prize-crew  of  fifteen  men,  who  were 
taking  her  to  Havre.  There  are  forty  of  her  crew  and  the 
master  aboard." 

"Is  she  much  damaged?" 

"  Her  foretopmast  is  in  halves,  sir,  and  the  royal  mast- 
head rests  on  the  forecastle.  Her  lower  standing  rigging 
is  a  good  deal  cut  up,  but  I  can't  see  anything  above  her 
tops.     She  has  three  men  killed  and  one  slightly  wounded." 

"Very  well,  Mr.  Tapping;  while  this  fog  holds,  I  shall 
fire  a  musket  from  time  to  time,  which  you  will  please 
answer.  Let  the  liberated  men  turn  to,  and  refit  as  well 
as  they  can." 

This  was  the  only  instance  that  I  can  remember  of  a  ship 
having  been  fought  and  taken  in  a  fog.  A  fog  is  not  like 
the  blackness  of  night.  A  night  must  be  supernaturally 
black  indeed  to  prevent  a  man  from  obtaining  some  idea  of 


72  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

an  enemy's  size  and  even  his  postures.  The  very  guns  he 
discharges  reveal  him;  or  there  is  a  phosphorescent  sparkle 
in  the  water  to  tell  you  where  he  lurks ;  or  he  makes  a 
deeper  shadow  against  the  sky  than  the  sky  elsewhere 
holds.  But  a  fog  is  like  blinding  a  man.  You  hear  a 
noise,  but  you  cannot  tell  where  it  comes  from.  The 
flashes  of  the  guns  are  invisible;  and  when  you  think  you 
have  the  enemy  under  your  muzzles,  he  has  drifted  athwart 
your  bows  or  is  lying  dead  on  end  astern  of  you. 

It  was  extraordinary  to  think  of  our  having  a  big  recap- 
ture within  hail  of  us,  and  yet  out  of  sight;  of  our  having 
fought  a  ship  of  which  only  a  few  of  us  had  caught  the 
merest  glimpse.  The  fog  remained  as  thick  as  a  Cape 
Horn  snow-storm  until  noon,  during  which  time  we  kept 
on  discharging  muskets  at  intervals,  which  were  regularly 
answered;  so  that  each  vessel  was  very  exactly  apprised  of 
the  other's  distance  if  not  position.  Shelvocke  was  in  high 
spirits,  and  ordered  the  steward  to  serve  out  an  extra  dram 
of  rum  to  the  men,  who  had  exhibited  a  remarkable  disci- 
pline in  the  silent  and  resolute  manner  in  which  they  had 
gone  to  quarters,  their  stillness  as  they  stood  in  groups, 
and  in  their  determined  bearing  as  they  waited  for  the  fog 
to  discover  their  near  neighbor,  who,  for  all  they  then 
knew,  might  prove  to  be  a  French  line  of  battle-ship. 

Scarcely  had  the  sun  reached  the  meridian,  when  the  fog 
began  to  thin  clown  in  the  west.  One  could  see  it  breaking 
up  into  masses  like  the  clouds  round  the  brow  of  a  moun- 
tain, with  glimpses  of  the  sky  shining  amid  the  intervals, 
and  the  sparkling  of  the  open  waters  while,  astern  of  us,  it 
was  as  thick  as  cream,  and  the  ship  invisible.  We  were 
all  of  us  anxious  to  have  a  sight  of  the  recapture,  and  every 
eye  was  turned  aft,  as  the  vapor  thinned  down  upon  the 
ship,  revealing  first  her  hull  and  next  her  courses,  until 
presently  her  main-royal  yard  oozed  out,  and  then  the 
whole  of  her  lay  exposed;  and  a  fine  great  ship  she  looked 
as  she  floated  on  the  perfectly  calm  surface  of  the  blue 
water  about  eighty  fathoms  away  on  our  starboard  quarter, 
with  her  tall,  black  sides,  and  the  short  muzzles  of  her 
guns  projecting  beyond  the  ports,  and  her  immensely 
square  yards  mirrored  with  extraordinary  precision  in  the 
transparent  sheet  of  azure  on  which  she  reposed,  while  her 


THE  ACTION  WITH  THE  CORVETTE.  73 

large  black  shape  was  thrown  into  strong  relief  by  the  solid 
snow-white  bodies  of  vapor  which  were  slowly  rolling  and 
settling  away  down  in  the  east. 

Tapping  had  turned  up  her  people  to  refit  during  the 
time  they  lay  in  the  fog;  they  had  jury -rigged  her  forward, 
though  there  was  enough  hoist  left  in  the  stump  of  her 
foretopmast  to  enable  a  double-reefed  sail  to  be  set;  and  on 
the  whole,  they  had  made  a  very  respectable  figure  of  her 
aloft,  where  most  of  our  shot  had  flown,  and  left  her  in  a 
condition  very  well  fit  to  sail  across  the  short  space  of 
water  that  lay  between  us  and  the  English  coast. 

No  sooner  had  the  fog  left  the  two  vessels  visible  to  each 
other,  than  the  ship's  gig  was  lowered,  and  three  men  and 
a  stout  old  fellow  got  into  her,  and  shoved  off  for  the 
Tigress.  While  the  boat  approached  our  vessel,  I  jumped 
on  to  the  bulwark,  and  had  a  long  look  around  the  horizon. 
In  the  east,  and  stretching  a  considerable  distance  north 
and  south,  the  vapor  still  hung  in  heavy  masses  upon  the 
water,  obscuring  all  that  part  of  the  deep  down  to  within  a 
couple  or  three  miles  of  us;  but  the  sea  was  beautifully 
blue  and  bright  with  the  flash  of  sunlight  on  it,  and  for 
leagues  in  the  west  it  was  clear,  and  not  a  sail  in  sight. 
The  atmosphere  was  breathless ;  the  swell  had  entirely  sub- 
sided, and  the  two  vessels  lay  motionless,  without  so  much 
as  a  stir  of  their  sails  to  waft  a  draught  of  air  along  the 
deck,  upon  which  the  sun  was  beating  fiercely,  and  already 
softening  the  pitch  between  the  planks,  and  distilling  the 
smell  of  paint  from  the  schooner's  side. 

The  Hanover's  boat  hooked  on  under  the  gangway  and 
the  old  fellow,  who  proved  to  be  the  skipper,  stepped  on 
board.  He  immediately  inquired  for  Captain  Shelvocke, 
and  then  ran  to  him  with  outstretched  hands  and  fairly 
embraced  him,  thanking  him  in  broken  tones  for  having 
saved  his  ship  and  rescued  him  and  his  men  from  the  hor- 
rors of  a  French  prison.  He  was  a  fine,  portly  looking  old 
fellow,  and  had  figged  himself  out  for  this  visit,  being 
dressed  in  a  blue  swallow-tail,  with  a  couple  of  brass  but- 
tons nearly  as  big  as  saucepan-lids  under  his  shoulder- 
blades,  a  fine  frill,  new  silk  stockings,  big  square-toed 
shoes,  heavily  buckled,  and  a  hat  like  Cobbett's. 

He  said  he  had  left  Gravesend  at  two  o'clock  on  the  pre- 


74  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

ceding  afternoon  and  had  reached  the  Downs  at  ten  o'clock 
at  night,  where,  not  liking  the  look  of  the  weather,  he  had 
brought  up  within  musket-shot  of  an  English  brig  of  war. 
At  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  he  was  in  his  cabin  asleep, 
when  he  was  aroused  by  a  disturbance  on  deck,  and  on  run- 
ning up  the  companion,  he  found  that  his  ship  had  been 
boarded  by  three  boats  full  of  men  belonging  to  a  French 
privateer  that  was  lying  hidden  close  under  the  South  Fore- 
land. Before  the  alarm  could  be  raised,  the  hatches  were 
closed,  the  cable  cut,  and  the  Hanover  standing  away  to  the 
southward  under  a  press  of  canvas.  It  appeared,  how- 
ever, that  though  the  English  brig  had  no  suspicion  of  any- 
thing being  wrong  aboard  the  Hanover,  she  sighted  the  pri- 
vateer soon  after  the  Frenchman's  boats  had  returned  to 
her,  leaving  a  prize  crew  in  the  Hanover,  and  made  all  sail 
in  pursuit.  The  captain  added  that  he  had  left  London 
bound  to  Stokes  Bay,  to  make  part  of  a  small  convoy  that 
was  to  sail  on  the  following  Monday ;  he  had  a  crew  of 
forty  men,  and  mounted  twelve  guns,  and  certainly  hoped, 
by  hugging  the  English  coast,  to  have  dished  the  French 
cruisers. 

"But,"  said  he,  in  a  passion,  "the  audacity  of  those 
privateers  is  something  shocking,  sir.  Their  impudence  is ' 
only  to  be  equalled  by  their  cowardice.  They  run  like 
hares  at  the  first  alarm,  and  they  rarely  try  their  hand  on 
any  game  that  is  likely  to  cost  them  so  much  as  a  black 
eye." 

Shelvocke  invited  them  below,  but  they  had  hardly 
reached  the  bottom  of  the  companion  steps  when  the  quar- 
ter-deck was  hailed  by  a  fellow  on  the  topsail-yard. 

"There's  a  sail  on  the  port  quarter,  sir,  about  a  couple 
of  points  abaft  the  beam." 

I  looked,  and  sure  enough  there,  about  four  and  a  half 
miles  away  from  us,  lay  a  large  corvette,  which  the  fog,  as 
it  fined  away  down,  had  unfolded,  just  as  one  lifts  a  cur- 
tain to  disclose  a  scene,  with  the  lustrous  water  on  which 
she  lay  becalmed  gleaming  in  her  glossy  sides,  and  her 
courses  and  topgallant-sails  hanging  in  the  bight  of  the 
leech-lines. 

I  went  to  the  open  skylight  and  gave  the  news  to  Shel- 
vocke,  who  had  just  seated  himself ;    but  the  instant  he 


THE  ACTION  WITH  THE  CORVETTE.  75 

heard  me,  he  jumped  out  of  his  chair  as  though  a  shell  had 
exploded  under  him,  and  ran  on  deck,  followed  by  the 
portly  skipper  of  the  Hanover,  who  arrived  through  the 
companion  wheezing  like  an  old  hound  after  a  run. 

"One,  two,  three — fifteen  gun-ports  of  a  side,  by  jingo," 
I  exclaimed,  working  at  her  with  a  glass.  "  As  stout  a 
twelve-hundred  ship  as  was  e^er  launched,  sir!" 

"Yes,  fifteen  gun-ports,  and  all  furnished  too,"  said 
Shelvocke;  "and  if  the  height  of  her  lower  masts  and  the 
narrowness  of  her  topsail-yards,  and  the  hollow  cut  of  the 
foot  of  her  sails  don't  speak  her  a  Frenchman,  let  me  be 
called  a  Dutchman.  What  say  you,  captain?"  and  he 
handed  the  glass  to  the  Hanover's  skipper. 

The  old  fellow  took  a  long  steady  stare,  and  then  letting 
the  glass  drop  from  his  eye,  said: 

"A  Frenchman,  sir — and  a  very  ugly  one,  too." 

Shelvocke  glanced  round  the  horizon. 

"  I  see  no  signs  of  a  breeze,  Mr.  Madison,  so  let  the  crew 
go  to  dinner.  Mr.  Peacock,  jump  aft  and  hoist  French 
colors.  I'll  bother  that  chap.  Carry  the  halliards  forward 
that  the  bunting  may  show." 

No  sooner  was  the  French  flag  drooping  at  our  peak  than 
a  similar  flag  was  run  up  to  the  mizzen-masthead  of  the 
corvette.  In  a  few  moments  this  was  hauled  down,  and  a 
private  signal  hoisted. 

"  Dip  the  flag,  Mr.  Peacock, "  sung  out  Shelvocke. 
"  That  will  perplex  them,  Mr.  Madison.  They  may  take 
us  for  one  of  their  own  privateers  becalmed  with  a 
prize." 

Our  flag  was  lowered  half-way  down,  and  then  run  up 
again.  After  a  little  they  hauled  down  the  private  signal 
and  hoisted  the  blood-red  St.  George's  cross. 

"No,  no,  my  fine  fellow,  that  won't  do,"  exclaimed 
Shelvocke,  laughing.  "  Mr.  Peacock,  belay  the  flag-hal- 
liards, and  let  them  puzzle  for  a  while  over  that  guarantee 
of  our  honesty.  Captain  Jenkinson,"  addressing  the  skip- 
per, "  if  yonder  craft  prove  to  be,  as  I  am  cocksure  she 
is,  a  Frenchman,  shall  you  and  I  fight  her?" 

"With  pleasure,"  answered  the  hearty  old  chap,  with  a 
sharp  gleam  in  his  eye;  "  if  she'll  let  us." 

"  You  say  you  can  muster  forty  men — you  have  thirteen 


76  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

of  my  crew  besides,  whom  I  shall  leave  with  you.  What 
are  your  guns?" 

"  Eighteen-pound  carronades." 

"You  have  five  of  a  side — any  swivels?" 

"Two." 

"  Why,  you  have  men  to  fight  them  and  to  spare.  What 
is  the  risk  compared  to  the  chances  of  success?"  He  took 
a  few  short  turns,  and  slapping  his  leg  vehemently,  ex- 
claimed: "  We'll  have  her!  we'll  have  her!  Mr.  Peacock, 
jump  below  and  tell  the  steward  to  hurry  forward  the  din- 
ner. Captain  Jenkinson,  we'll  settle  our  tactics  over  a 
piece  of  English  beef." 

Presently  the  steward  came  up  to  say  that  dinner  was  on 
the  table,  and  I  remained  alone  on  deck  to  watch  the  move- 
ments of  the  corvette.  All  this  time  she  had  kept  Eng- 
lish colors  hoisted,  but  shortly  after  Shelvocke  had  gone 
below  she  replaced  the  English  with  the  French  flag  and  at 
the  same  time  sheeted  home  her  topgallant  sails  and  set  all 
three  royals.  I  construed  this  into  a  make-ready  manoeu- 
vre, but  whether  done  with  the  intention  of  drawing  closer 
or  hauling  off  when  the  wind  came  I  could  not  guess.  It 
was  quite  probable  that  she  was  deceived  by  the  hull  of 
our  schooner,  which  had  the  true  French  lines,  and  the 
dogged  way  in  which  we  kept  her  country's  flag  hoisted 
would  also  help  to  give  her  people  confidence  in  us. 

Our  men,  having  eaten  their  dinner,  came  up  in  twos 
and  threes  at  a  time,  and  hung  over  the  bulwarks  watch- 
ing her.  So  motionless  was  the  air  and  so  marvellously 
restful  the  surface  of  the  water,  that  the  Hanover  and  the 
Tigress  remained  almost  precisely  in  the  same  posture  in 
which  the  lifting  of  the  fog  had  disclosed  them. 

Twenty  minutes  passed,  and  I  was  looking  at  the  cor- 
vette through  the  glass,  when  I  saw  them  lower  a  boat, 
and  distinctly  perceived  the  glitter  of  the  uniform  of  the 
officer  who  entered  her.  I  watched  to  see  what  this 
meant,  and  on  observing  that  the  boat  was  making  for  us  I 
reported  the  circumstance  to  Shelvocke,  who  immediately 
came  on  deck.  It  was  evident  from  the  leisurely  manner 
in  which  the  boat  came  along  that  the  officer  had  not  been 
despatched  to  make  a  tete-a-tSte  inquiry.  Several  times 
the  men  rested  on  their  oars  while  the  officer  stood  up  and 


THE  ACTION  WITH  THE  CORVETTE.  7? 

scrutinized  us  with  a  glass.  Each  time  he  sat  down  the 
boat's  crew  gave  way  again,  as  though  another  few  strokes 
of  the  oars  would  give  them  a  better  chance  of  observing 
us. 

I  heard  our  men  forward  chuckling  over  this  amusingly 
reluctant  approach  when  the  boat  was  near  enough  for  them 
to  see  her.  Indeed,  it  reminded  me  of  some  cowardly 
though  savage  animal  creeping  toward  one,  ready  to  turn 
and  fly  at  the  first  sound.  Yet  that  boat  upon  the  lustrous 
blue  water  and  the  shape  of  the  heavy  corvette  beyond 
made  a  picture  of  uncommon  beauty.  The  sea  was  just 
broken  and  blurred  under  the  rise  and  fail  of  the  oars  as 
though  they  were  dipped  into  a  sheet  of  quicksilver,  and 
the  boat  looked  like  one  of  those  long-legged  insects  one 
sees  on  the  surface  of  stagnant  pools  on  summer  evenings 
as  she  cautiously  advanced  with  the  oars  rising  and  drop- 
ping ;  while  the  pale  blue  sea  rose  like  glass  to  the  black 
hull  of  the  corvette,  and  terminated  a  short  distance  be- 
yond the  ship  in  a  gleaming  line  that  was  barely  distin- 
guishable from  the  sky ;  for  the  fog  had  now  melted  out  of 
the  air,  and  the  horizon  was  an  unbroken  circle. 

The  boat  had  got  to  within  a  mile  and  a  quarter  of  us, 
and  Shelvocke  had  sung  out  to  the  boatswain  to  pipe  away 
the  cutter's  crew  ready  to  chase  her;  when,  for  the  tenth 
time,  her  men  rested  on  their  oars  while  the  officer  stood 
up  and  examined  us.  But  on  this  occasion  he  appeared  to 
have  discovered  as  much  as  he  wanted  to  find  out;  for  in  a 
moment  he  flung  himself  down,  the  boat's  head  was  pulled 
round,  and  off  they  went  back  to  their  ship  as  hard  as  ever 
they  could  pelt. 

"Give  him  a  shot  from  the  stern-chaser!"  shouted  Shel- 
vocke.    Haul  down  that  flag  and  hoist  English  colors!" 

The  gun  was  pointed  and  fired,  at  the  instant  the  English 
ensign  was  run  up.  The  roar  of  the  heavy  piece  of  ord- 
nance, amid  the  dead  calm  that  then  prevailed,  seemed  to 
shake  the  schooner  down  to  her  kelson.  I  watched  the 
shot  strike  the  water  a  long  distance  astern  of  the  boat  and 
go  hopping  after  her  like  a  pea  along  a  polished  table,  tar- 
nishing the  sea  where  it  struck  it  as  a  mirror  is  blurred  by 
the  passage  of  a  damp  finger,  and  flashing  up  white  jets  as 
it  ricochetted.     The  eye  lost  sight  of  it  after  a  certain  dis- 


78  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

tance,  but  though  it  did  not  hit  the  boat,  it  was  a  well- 
thrown  shot. 

"They  have  the  truth  now,"  said  Shelvocke,  with  a 
glance  at  our  ensign,  the  nationality  of  which  was  clearly 
displayed  by  the  halliards  being  taken  forward,  so  as  to 
let  the  flag  hang  down  like  a  table-cloth  in  a  laundress's 
drying-ground.  "  Captain  Jenkinson,  I  think  you  had  best 
get  aboard  your  ship  and  see  all  clear.  We  shall  take  ad- 
vantage of  the  first  slant  of  air,  and  I  shall  not  be  sur- 
prised if  the  fog  be  not  presently  followed  by  a  breeze 
from  the  westward." 

The  old  fellow  immediately  shook  hands  with  Shelvocke, 
saying,  as  he  went  over  the  side,  that  we  might  count  upon 
his  supporting  the  schooner  if  the  corvette  only  allowed 
him  to  bring  his  guns  within  range;  and  getting  into  his 
boat,  shoved  off,  and  was  presently  scrambling  up  the  tall 
side  of  the  Hanover. 

"A  regular  Briton,  all  of  the  olden  time,"  exclaimed 
Shelvocke,  watching  him  as  he  gained  the  side  of  his  ship, 
"  as  full  of  spunk  as  a  terrier.  But,  Mr.  Madison,  you 
had  better  step  below,  and  get  something  to  eat  while  there 
is  time." 

I  was  not  sorry  for  the  chance,  but  did  not  stay  at  table 
above  ten  minutes.  When  I  came  on  deck  again,  I  found 
Shelvocke  pacing  up  and  down  the  quarter-deck  with  a 
cigar  in  his  mouth,  casting  light  glances  around  the  sea 
from  time  to  time,  and  constantly  humming  a  soft  tune. 

The  men  hung  about  in  the  shadows  of  the  sails  and  the 
bulwarks,  with  their  breasts  bare  and  their  faces  crimson. 
It  was,  indeed,  as  hot  as  ever  I  remember  experiencing 
in  any  part  of  the  world.  If  I  stood  still  a  moment  I 
could  feel  the  heat  on  the  surface  of  the  deck  through  the 
soles  of  my  boots.  A  faint  haze  had  gathered  over  the 
horizon,  and  hung  in  some  places  in  grayish  streaks  like 
smoke,  while  here  and  there  it  resembled  the  outline  of  a 
coast.  For  all  that,  the  air  was  amazingly  transparent, 
and  such  was  the  refractive  power  of  the  light  that  the  sea 
beyond  the  normal  line  of  it  was  lifted  up  so  as  to  form  a 
mirage,  which  caused  the  corvette  to  appear  close  to  us, 
though,  as  I  have  said,  she  was  between  four  and  five  miles 
distant. 


THE  ACTION  WITH  THE  CORVETTE.  79 

"What  is  the  time,  Mr.  Madison?"  asked  Shelvocke. 

"Hard  upon  two  bells,  sir."' 

"  The  wind  is  a  long  while  coming,  but  after  such  an 
extraordinary  fog  as  the  one  that  has  just  left  us,  we  must 
be  prepared  for  wonders.  I  doubt  if  that  fellow  will  show 
fight.  I  have  arranged  with  Jenkinson  to  let  him  go  if 
the  wind  comes  northerly — that  is,  if  he  means  to  go — as 
I  don't  want  to  find  France  a  lee  shore  with  a  half-masted 
ship  like  the  Hanover  in  company.  On  the  other  hand,  if 
the  wind  comes  south,  or  east,  or  west,  we'll  fight  him. 
My  tactics  will  be  to  dismast  him,  for  really  I  believe  the 
Tigress  will  be  able  to  post  herself  where  she  pleases,  pro- 
viding the  right  kind  of  wind  blows.  Anyway  we  must 
cripple  him  aloft  if  possible,  so  as  to  give  the  Hanover  a 
chance  of  pounding  him  on  one  side,  while  we  hammer 
him  on  the  other." 

"He  won't  come  up  to  the  scratch,  sir.  He  will  have 
guessed  that  the  Hanover  is  a  recapture,  and  depend  upon 
it  he  knows  that  M.  le  Ministre  will  forgive  his  anxiety  to 
preserve  the  corvette  to  the  grand  nation,  when  he  reports 
that  he  was  opposed  to  two  British  vessels,  one  of  them  of 
trois  mats,  both  heavily  armed,  and,  of  course,  chokeful  of 


men." 


"Ay,  especially  the  one  of  three  masts,"  said  Shelvocke 
with  a  laugh.  "  Well,  Mr.  Madison,  it  may  prove  as  you 
say.  Our  business,  I  will  not  call  it  our  duty,  is  to  cap- 
ture her  if  we  can;  and,  as  I  have  said,  if  the  wind  blows 
from  any  quarter  but  the  north  I  will  chase  her  if  she  runs, 
and  if  she  offers  fight  will  engage  her,  let  the  wind  blow 
how  it  will." 

He  then  repeated  his  conversation  with  Jenkinson,  and 
explained  the  tactics  agreed  upon,  should  the  vessels  come 
into  action.  I  was  in  the  middle  of  an  anecdote  of  an 
American  privateer  that  had  very  cleverly  fought  an  Eng- 
lish sloop-ship  by  means  of  certain  manoeuvres  which  the 
reader  would  hardly  thank  me  for  particularizing,  when, 
my  eye  being  on  the  corvette,  I  noticed  that  she  had  set 
her  foresail.  I  immediately  called  Shelvocke's  attention 
to  this,  and  suspecting  the  reason,  I  took  the  glass  and 
sprang  into  the  main  rigging  to  make  sure  of  it. 

One  look    satisfied  me;    the  water  was  dark    all   away 


80  AN   OCEAN   FREE  LANCE. 

astern  of  the  Frenchman,  and  a  fresh  breeze  was  coming 
down  dead  over  her  taffrail  as  she  lay  with  her  head  to  the 
northward  and  westward.  On  my  reporting  this,  Shel- 
vocke immediately  passed  the  word  along  for  the  hands  to 
be  stationed  and  everything  seen  clear.  Boarding  nettings 
were  triced  up,  the  guns  double-shotted,  the  primings  care- 
fully looked  to,  and  all  the  usual  warlike  preparations 
made. 

Owing  to  the  sea  being  cast  up  by  the  refractive  light 
behind  the  corvette,  we  could  see  the  dark  blue  line  of  the 
wind  ruffling  the  water  astern  of  her  when  she  herself  lay 
motionless  upon  the  placid  lustrous-gray  surface.  We 
watched  her  anxiously.  Would  she  keep  her  yards  square 
and  come  down  with  the  breeze  upon  us,  or  brace  up  and 
haul  away  on  a  bowline?  In  a  few  minutes  the  flag  she 
carried  at  the  mizzenmast  head  and  the  long  pennant  at  the 
main  blew  out,  her  sails  rounded,  throwing  off  the  shadows 
which  filled  them  while  they  hung  slack  from  the  yards, 
like  the  moon  dipping  clear  of  a  cloud,  and  resembling 
ivory  hemispheres  as  they  soared  brilliant  in  the  sunshine, 
one  on  top  of  the  other.  Indeed  it  was  a  beautiful  sight 
to  see  her  canvas  fill,  and  the  water  all  around  a  rich  quiv- 
ering blue,  and  the  passage  of  the  wind  along  the  sea 
marked  by  a  line  as  clear  as  the  horizon  against  the  sky. 

"  She  steers  as  straight  as  a  hair  for  us,"  said  Shelvocke 
coolly ;  "  and  has  more  pluck  than  you  think,  Madison. 
She  is  a  big  pill  for  our  small  throats,  but  we'll  try  to 
swallow  her  all  the  same." 

"Look,  sir!"  I  exclaimed,  almost  bursting  into  a  laugh, 
so  strong  upon  me  was  the  excitement  of  the  moment. 

As  I  spoke  the  corvette's  jib-boom  made  a  slow,  majes- 
tical  sweep,  her  yards  were  braced  round,  her  main  tack 
was  boarded,  and,  giving  us  a  whole-length  view  of  her- 
self, there  was  our  heavy  friend  ratching  dead  to  wind- 
ward, and  going  away  to  the  southward  under  every  stitch 
of  canvas  she  could  carry.  A  regular  groan  broke  from 
our  crew,  and  a  loud,  derisive  shout  came  ringing  across 
the  water  from  the  Hanover. 

"No  matter,  my  lads!"  exclaimed  Shelvocke.  "She'll 
have  to  go  pretty  nearly  as  far  as  Cherbourg  to  fetch  her 
native  shores  if  this  wind  holds,  and  I  have  no  doubt,  men, 


THE  ACTION  WITH  THE  CORVETTE.  81 

she'll  reach  the  nearest  port  she  can  come  at  safe  enough — - 
if  we  let  her." 

"We  never  will  let  her,  sir!" — "Give  the  Tigress  the 
scent,  and  she'll  know  the  road!" — "More  prize-money  for 
the  gals!" — "Hurrah,  boys,  here  comes  the  breeze."  And 
plump  it  fell  upon  us  while  these  cries  broke  from  the 
crew.  The  schooner's  helm  was  put  hard  down,  her  after- 
sails  rattled  her  round,  and  like  the  wild  and  desperate 
beast  whose  name  she  bore,  she  seemed  to  give  a  long- 
plunge,  settle  herself  for  a  bounding  run,  and  in  a  minute 
was  tearing  after  the  Frenchman. 

It  was  a  fine  fresh  breeze  that  blew  now,  with  a  promise 
of  more  weight  in  it  presently.  The  sea  was  all  of  a  dance 
at  once,  and  blobs  of  foam  like  chips  of  white  pine  blew 
about  the  merry,  streaming  waters.  The  Hanover  took  the 
wind,  and  rounded  to  it  handsomely,  and  there  she  was 
astern  of  us,  with  a  double-reefed  fore-topsail,  and  staysail, 
and  jib  set  flying  forward,  and  a  tower  of  canvas  behind. 
I  laughed  when  I  looked  at  her,  but  I  caught  Shelvocke 
watching  her  with  an  expression  of  great  anxiety.  A  very 
few  minutes  proved  that  the  Tigress  would  leave  the  Han- 
over hull  down  long  before  the  corvette  fell  within  range 
of  our  guns.  Her  round  bows  made  a  great  hullabaloo  in 
the  water,  and  she  splashed  and  wobbled  like  a  negro 
bathing;  but  her  rate  of  progress  was  very  slow.  Al- 
though her  bowlines  had  been  triced  out  to  a  regular  sailors' 
song,  she  appeared  to  be  going  free  in  comparison  with  the 
close-sailing  of  the  schooner;  and  although  she  had  started 
somewhat  to  windward  of  us,  already  in  this  short  distance 
of  time  she  was  well  on  our  lee  quarter.  A  dull  sailer  she 
undoubtedly  was  at  the  best,  but  with  her  fore-topmast  in 
halves,  she  was  simply  nowhere  at  all;  and  it  was  imme- 
diately apparent,  now  that  the  corvette  had  hauled  her 
wind,  that  the  Hanover  could  not  possibly  take  part  in  the 
tactics  which  had  been  concerted  between  her  captain  and 
Shelvocke. 

For  the  first  and  only  time  that  I  can  remember  Shel- 
vocke appeared  irresolute. 

"  Jenkinson  ought  to  have  told  me  she  was  a  tub,"  he 
exclaimed  angrily.  "I  knew  by  her  bows  that  she  wasn't 
a  clipper;  but,  confound  the  man!  who  would  have  guessed 
6 


82  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

his  hooker  couldn't  sail  at  all?  Shall  I  order  Tapping  to 
carry  the  old  sugar-box  home  or  let  him  take  his  chance  by 
following  us?" 

"  You'll  find  the  Frenchman  will  shorten  sail  and  bear 
down  upon  us  when  he  sees  the  Hanover  going.  Don't 
fancy  I  want  to  back  out  of  the  job,  captain,  if  I  ask 
whether  you  don't  think  a  thirty-eight-gun  ship,  as  I  take 
that  corvette  to  be,  is  not  a  trifle  too  big  for  us?" 

"No!"  he  answered,  passionately;  "and  were  she  twice 
as  big,  I  would  chase  and  tight  her  after  my  speech  to  the 
men.  That's  not  the  question.  What  am  I  to  do  with  that 
old  tea-wagon  on  our  quarter  yonder?" 

"  Send  her  adrift,  sir.  She'll  be  safer  out  of  the  road, 
and  she  is  certainly  of  no  use  to  us." 

He  immediately  ordered  Chestree  to  signal  to  the  Han- 
over to  make  the  best  of  her  way  at  once  to  England.  Old 
Jenkinson  seemed  annoyed  by  this  order,  to  judge  at  least 
by  his  tardiness  in  executing  it.  I  suggested  to  Shelvocke 
that,  as  he  had  practically  reinstated  Jenkinson  in  his  old 
command,  Tapping  might  have  been  prohibited  from  carry- 
ing out  the  injunction  made  by  signal. 

"More  than  likely,"  exclaimed  Shelvocke,  still  in  a  pas- 
sion. "  But  I'll  soon  show  Jenkinson  who's  master.  Mol- 
loy,  throw  a  shot  across  the  Hanover' 's  forefoot." 

The  man  who  was  stationed  at  the  aftermost  gun  sighted 
the  piece  and  fired.  The  hint  sufficed :  for  when  the  smoke 
cleared  away,  we  saw  the  Hanover  in  the  act  of  going  off 
before  the  wind,  and  in  a  few  minutes  there  were  hands 
aloft,  rigging  out  the  studding-sail  booms. 

Shelvocke  paced  the  quarter-deck  quickly,  sometimes 
glancing  at  the  Frenchman  whom  we  were  slowly  weather- 
ing, though  he  was  spanking  along  at  a  sharp  pace,  some- 
times looking  after  the  Hanover,  whose  stern  was  now  at 
us,  and  who  with  her  studding-sails  appeared  a  whole  hill 
of  canvas  on  the  smooth  water. 

Chestree  came  up  and  asked  me  if  Captain  Shelvocke 
meant  to  engage  the  corvette. 

"It  looks  uncommonly  like  it,"  I  answered,  "considering 
that  we  are  not  sailing  her  for  a  wager." 

"She's  a  big  ship,  Mr.  Madison,"  said  he,  looking  at  her 
with  his  head  askew   as  though  he  were  wall-eyed. 


THE  ACTION  WITH  THE  CORVETTE.  83 

"Yes,  a  trifle  bigger  than  we  are,  Mr.  Chestree." 

"  Pray  the  Lord  her  batteries  prove  carronades,  Mr.  Madi- 
son. How  many  men  might  she  carry  now,  think  you, 
sir?" 

"  Why,  vessels  of  her  class  are  usually  crowded ;  and  I 
think  we  may  safely  calculate  on  being  opposed  by  three 
hundred  and  fifty  men." 

"And  Tapping  away  with  twelve  of  our  crew!"  said  he, 
in  a  voice  so  like  a  groan,  that  Shelvocke,  who  was  pacing 
the  other  side  of  the  deck,  stared  hard  at  him. 

"  No  doubt  the  task  before  us  would  be  easier  if  she  were 
smaller  or  we  were  bigger, "  I  observed ;  "  but  then  half  the 
fun  of  fighting  her  would  be  lost." 

And  so  saying,  though  not  in  heart  one  jot  more  comfort- 
able than  my  friend  Chestree,  I  went  over  to  the  weather- 
side  to  watch  the  enemy.  She  bore  about  two  points  before 
the  beam :  and  in  consequence  of  the  superiority  of  a  fore- 
and-aft  over  a  square-rigged  vessel  in  hugging  the  wind,  we 
were  lying  up  well  for  her,  and  every  minute  decreasing  the 
space  between  us.  She  was  not  more  than  three  and  a  half 
miles  away ;  and  even  at  that  distance  was  as  beautiful  a 
sight  as  any  man  could  wish  to  look  on.  Viewed  through 
the  glass,  her  people  could  be  clearly  distinguished  upon  her 
,  snow-white  decks,  which  the  pressure  of  the  wind  on  her 
canvas  inclined  toward  us  sufficiently  to  enable  me  to  see 
the  breeches  of  her  port-tier  of  main-deck  guns.  It  is  likely 
that  she  took  us  to  be  a  larger  vessel  than  we  were ;  for  our 
far-reaching  mastheads  and  prodigious  spread  of  clothes — ■ 
the  end  of  our  main-boom  when  amidships  seemed  to  go  a 
whole  ship's  length  over  the  taffrail! — made  us  an  impos- 
ing object;  but  whether  the  sight  of  the  retreating  Han- 
over gave  her  courage,  or  whether  she  found  that  we  were 
forereaching  and  weathering  on  her  too  fast  to  give  her  a 
chance,  or  whether  she  grew  ashamed  of  running  away  from 
the  vessel  that  might  have  made  a  long-boat  for  her,  she 
presently  clewed  up  her  royals  and  fore  and  mizzen  top- 
gallant sails,  and  hauled  up  her  courses,  and,  putting  her 
helm  to  port,  ran  down  to  meet  us. 

I  had  been  expecting  this  every  minute;  but  the  moment 
she  altered  her  course,  Shelvocke  gave  the  order  to  put  the 
schooner  about.    The  Thjress,  having  brave  way  on  her,  ran 


84  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

into  the  wind  to  the  tune  of  the  boatswain's  pipe,  and  before 
a  man  could  have  counted  fifty  she  was  standing  to  the 
eastward,  with  sails  as  flat  as  boards,  and  the  men,  as  quiet 
as  figureheads,  massed  along  the  decks. 

This  manoeuvre  seemed  to  capsize  Johnny's  theories.  I 
suppose  he  could  not  guess  what  we  would  be  at.  He  stood 
on  for  a  few  minutes,  during  which  time  Shelvocke  watched 
him  with  gleaming  eyes  and  as  mocking  a  smile  as  ever  I 
saw  on  a  man's  face;  then  he  put  his  helm  down. 

Probably  few  landsmen,  how  ignorant  soever  of  the  sea, 
but  knows  that  a  square-rigged  vessel  does  not  go  round  on 
her  heels  to  stays  like  a  schooner.  It  seemed  an  age,  in 
comparison  with  the  nimbleness  of  the  Tigress,  before  the 
corvette  swung  her  foreyards ;  and  when  at  last  she  was 
braced  upon  the  starboard  tack,  we  had  made  half  a  mile 
of  weathering  and  were  well  on  her  lee-quarter.  She  had 
hardly  got  her  yards  trimmed  when  she  let  fly  two  guns  at 
us,  probably  to  test  the  range;  but,  whatever  might  have 
been  the  calibre  of  the  pieces,  nothing,  so  far  as  we  were 
concerned,  came  of  the  experiment  but  the  veil  of  cobweb- 
colored  smoke  that  puffed  up  over  her  stern  and  blew  down 
toward  us  along  the  sea. 

We  watched  her  setting  the  flying-kites  she  had  clewed 
up,  and  when  she  had  boarded  her  tacks  and  made  herself 
comfortable,  once  more  Shelvocke  shouted  out:  "Hands 
about  ship!"  and  amid  the  half-suppressed  grins  of  the 
men,  who  heartily  enjoyed  the  manner  in  which  the  captain 
was  bothering  the  Frenchman,  and  who  believed  that  behind 
this  dodging  lay  a  bold  and  clever  scheme,  the  helm  was 
again  put  down,  and  the  Tigress  headed  on  her  former 
course. 

It  was  the  right  kind  of  breeze  for  the  schooner,  fresh 
without  much  weight,  and  the  sea  smooth,  and  she  went 
along  like  a  sledge  over  a  level  plain  of  ice.  This  time 
Johnny  was  more  alert.  While  our  own  ropes  were  coiling 
down,  his  sails  were  shaking,  and  as  he  gave  us  his  stern, 
he  favored  us  with  another  gun.  The  ball,  dropped  a  long 
way  short,  though  I  saw  the  flash  of  the  foam  where  it  fell. 

"Look!  look!"  shouted  Shelvocke  suddenly.  "She's 
missed  stays!  By  heaven,  they've  got  her  in  irons!  Put 
your  helm  down— flow  your  head  sheets — quick,  men — so! 


THE  ACTION  WITH   THE  CORVETTE.  85 

Make  ready  with  your  bow  gun  there,  and  aim  at  her  spars. 
Don't  fire  before  the  order's  given!" 

The  corvette  was  indeed  in  one  of  those  unfortunate  pre- 
dicaments which,  in  ninety-nine  cases  in  a  hundred,  are  the 
result  of  bad  seamanship.  It  happens  sometimes,  it  is  true, 
that,  in  a  cross-sea,  and  under  small  canvas,  a  ship  will  come 
up  into  the  wind,  a  short  way,  and  fall  off  again  with  her 
helm  hard  down ;  but  in  smooth  water,  with  a  fine  breeze 
blowing,  and  all  plain  sail  set,  missing  stays  can  only  be 
the  consequence  of  culpable  ignorance  on  the  part  of  the 
captain  or  officer  in  charge,  or  an  inattention  on  the  part  of 
the  man  at  the  helm  serious  enough  to  deserve  the  penalty 
of  the  yard-arm. 

There  lay  the  corvette  all  aback,  the  utmost  confusion 
prevailing  aboard;  and  we  could  only  hope  that  the  igno- 
rance or  neglect  that  had  got  her  into  this  trouble  would  keep 
her  in  it  until  we  had  found  our  account.  The  Tigress  was 
again  on  the  starboard  tack,  heading  up  nobly  for  the  enemy. 
Shelvocke  watched  her  like  a  cat.  Presently  she  squared 
her  afteryards,  and  began  to  pay  off  slowly.  As  her  broad- 
side veered  round  to  us,  she  left  fly  the  whole  of  her  main- 
deck  guns.  The  iron  shower  tore  up  the  sea  at  an  equal  dis- 
tance between  her  and  us,  and  buried  itself. 

"Eeady  there  with  the  forecastle  gun!"  shouted  Shel- 
vocke.    "Take  good  aim — fire!" 

The  explosion  filled  the  forepart  of  the  schooner  with 
smoke,  and  for  a  few  moments  the  corvette  was  hidden. 
Shelvocke  sprang  on  to  the  weather-bulwarks,  and  craned 
himself  over  the  side. 

"Load  again  quickly,  and  let  her  have  another  dose!"  he 
sung  out,  while  I  ran  aft,  ready  for  the  manoeuvre  I  knew 
he  would  execute  in  a  moment  or  two. 

On  the  second  shot  being  fired  from  our  forecastle,  the 
order  was  given  to  put  the  helm  down,  and  as  the  schooner 
shot  up  into  the  wind,  presenting  her  broadside  to  the 
enemy,  who  was  wearing  to  come  up  on  the  port  tack,  we 
gave  her  five  guns.  They  were  discharged  with  splendid 
precision.  As  the  white,  sulphurous  folds  were  swept  off 
to  leeward,  I  saw  the  corvette  dead  abeam  of  us  about  a 
mile  to  windward,  with  her  mizzen-royal-mast  gone,  and 
her  main  topsail-yard  on  the  cap,  the  halliards  having  been 


86  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

shot  away.  There  were  several  large  shot-holes  in  her  fore 
topsail  arid  mainsail,  showing  the  accuracy  with  which  our 
guns  had  been  aimed. 

We  were  now,  however,  in  a  position  to  receive  her  broad- 
side, and  in  a  moment  it  came.  The  whole  side  of  the  black 
hull  flashed  into  a  blinding  blaze  of  light,  and  I  held  my 
breath,  expecting  to  hear  the  crash  of  spars  tumbling  about 
our  ears.  One  or  two  shrieks  from  our  crew  followed  the 
discharge,  and  I  saw  a  man  stationed  at  one  of  the  amid- 
ship  guns  spring  a  couple  of  feet  in  the  air,  and  fall  like  an 
overturned  statue.  But  aloft  the  only  injury  received 
was  a  large  gape  in  the  foresail  and  the  cutting  in  halves  of 
some  of  the  running-rigging,  the  ends  of  which  streamed 
away  like  serpents. 

For  some  time  the  two  vessels  held  on  in  grim  silence. 
The  corvette  hugged  the  wind  to  preserve  the  weather-gage 
as  we  did  to  gain  it;  but  she  was  no  match  for  us  either  in 
weathering  or  forereaching.  Although  they  had  bent  the 
topsail  halliards  afresh  with  great  promptitude,  yet  even 
the  short  period  during  which  this  sail  had  been  useless  had 
given  us  a  decided  advantage.  We  were  approaching  each 
other  fast,  and  why  she  did  not  ease  her  helm  and  give  us 
another  broadside  at  once  I  can  only  account  for  by  believ- 
ing that  she  reserved  her  powder  in  the  hope  of  being  able 
presently  to  transmogrify  us  by  a  single  discharge.  Any- 
way, she  could  judge  of  our  strength  accurately  enough 
now,  and,  despite  our  sauciness,  would  reckon  upon  an 
easy  capture. 

"Luff!"  suddenly  shouted  Shelvocke.  "Fire,  men,  when 
your  broadside  bears." 

We  spun  on  our  heels,  giving  the  corvette  a  heavy  dose 
as  we  rounded,  and  receiving  from  her  in  return  a  whole 
storm  of  canister  and  round-shot  that  wounded  three  of 
our  men,  one  badly,  nipped  the  fore-topmast  just  under  the 
royal  yard  as  clean  as  a  handsaw  would  have  done  it,  filled 
the  foresail  as  full  of  holes  as  a  piece  of  embroidery  work, 
and  knocked  the  gig  into  staves,  which  tumbled  astern 
and  went  away  as  though  an  old  cask  had  gone  to  pieces. 

I  noticed  the  moment  we  had  got  the  schooner  round  that 
the  wind  had  veered  to  the  westward  of  south,  which  must 
have  happened  while  we  were  in  stays,  so  that  when  the 


THE  ACTION  WITH  THE  CORVETTE.  87 

vessel  lay  close  her  bowsprit  pointed  slightly  to  windward 
of  the  corvette's  weather-quarter.  This  shift  of  wind  neces- 
sitated a  return  to  our  former  posture,  and  the  helm  was  put 
up  to  let  the  Tigress  wear,  as  by  tacking  we  should  have  run 
aboard  the  Frenchman.  His  guns  had  raised  such  a  smoke 
that  it  was  impossible  to  know  for  some  minutes  what  mis- 
chief we  had  done  him;  it  was  then  seen  that  his  mizzen- 
topmast  had  been  shot  away,  his  starboard  main  standing 
lower  rigging  was  trailing  alongside,  his  jibboom  was  gone 
at  the  cap,  and  his  jibs,  ballooning  in  the  water,  held  him 
as  though  he  had  been  warped  to  a  buoy. 

Meanwhile  we  were  edging  away  from  him  fast,  and 
crawling  to  windward,  some  of  the  hands  busy  in  doctoring 
the  running  gear  and  bending  a  new  foresail,  while  we  kept 
playing  the  enemy  with  round-shot  from  our  long  eighteens, 
which  he  made  ineffectual  efforts  to  return  owing  to  his  dis- 
mantled condition  forward  that  prevented  him  from  bring- 
ing his  broadside  to  bear. 

I  will  not  deny  that  our  luck  so  far  had  been  extraordi- 
narily great.  His  missing  stays  had,  indeed,  permitted  us 
to  do  almost  what  we  pleased.  But,  luck  or  no  luck,  the 
manner  in  which  Shelvocke  had  handled  the  schooner  was 
beyond  praise,  and  such  was  the  precision  with  which  our 
men  fired  that  every  shot  they  launched  at  the  clumsily 
worked  corvette  carried  death  and  destruction  with  it. 

The  wind  had  now  freshened  into  a  strong  working 
breeze,  and  the  Tigress  was  tearing  through  the  water  as 
though  she  had  had  enough  of  this  business,  and  wanted  to 
get  home.  With  our  guns  trained  well  aft  wre  kept  pegging 
away  at  the  enemy,  whose  return  fire  was  of  the  most  capri- 
cious and  wavering  kind,  while  her  bowsprit  was  black  with 
men  clearing  the  raffle  forward. 

At  the  distance  of  about  a  mile  away  from  her  we  tacked, 
shortened  sail,  and  there  we  lay  snugly  to  windward,  our 
people  peppering  her  with  the  coolness  of  men  practising 
on  a  target.  The  order  had  been  given  to  aim  low  so  as  to 
hull  her  and  shatter  her  rudder,  and  the  spray  flashed  up 
under  the  balls  that  raced  along  as  though  shells  were  ex- 
ploding under  the  surface  of  the  water. 

She  had  fallen  off  with  her  head  to  the  northward,  and 
they  were  answering  our  fire  with  great  persistence  with 


88  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

their  stern -chasers,  the  shot  of  one  of  which  crashed  through 
the  bulwark  close  to  where  I  was  standing,  and  tilled  the  air 
with  a  whole  shower  of  splinters,  by  which  one  of  the  best 
men  in  our  crew  lost  his  right  eye.  It  was  difficult  to  see 
what  they  were  about;  but  a  quarter  of  an  hour  after  we 
had  got  the  weather-gage  of  her  they  rounded  their  yards, 
braced  up  sharp  on  the  starboard  tack,  and  headed  to  the 
eastward.  She  kept  her  colors  flying,  and  so  soon  as  she 
presented  her  broadside  she.  aimed  a  shower  of  grape  at  us, 
which,  however,  fell  short,  as  in  squaring  away  she  had 
widened  the  distance  between  us  to  over  a  mile. 

Suddenly  some  one  sung  out,  "  A  sail  on  the  lee  quarter!" 
and  looking  that  way  I  saw  the  canvas  of  what  was  appar- 
ently a  large  ship,  gleaming  like  satin  iii  the  ardent  blaze  of 
the  afternoon  sun.  The  Frenchman  had  seen  her  as  well  as 
we,  and,  being  a  mile  farther  that  way,  could  judge  better 
than  we  what  she  was  like;  and  his  sudden  eagerness  to 
crowd  away  to  the  eastward  looked  very  much  as  though  he 
suspected  the  stranger  was  an  Englishman. 

"If  we  are  not  sharp,"  cried  Shelvocke,  rapping  out  an 
oath,  his  face  dark  with  perspiration,  and  standing  bare- 
headed, with  his  rough  hair  blowing  over  his  lion-like  fore- 
head, "  we  shall  have  burned  our  powder  merely  to  make 
that  corvette  an  easy  prize  for  a  king's  ship." 

"  Unless  yonder  sail  prove  a  national  vessel,"  I  said. 

"We'll  risk  it!"  he  shouted.  "Men,  double-shot  the 
long  gun  forward.  Aim  at  her  colors  when  I  put  the  helm 
up— if  you  can  bring  that  flag  down  she  may  not  want  to 
hoist  it  again." 

The  tiller  was  put  to  starboard,  and  the  twenty-four- 
pounder  fired. 

"Now  let  fly  your  broadside  as  she  comes  to,"  and  crash 
went  the  three  after  guns.  I  saw  the  white  splinters  glance 
from  her  side  like  bits  of  silver  under  the  discharge  an  in- 
stant before  she  delivered  another  whole  broadside  at  us. 
This  time  she  had  got  some  of  her  long  guns  to  bear,  and 
down  came  our  mainsail  along  with  the  colors,  and  a  whole 
shower  of  blocks  and  fragments  of  rope. 

A  dozen  hands  sprang  aft.  The  throat  and  peak  hal- 
liards were  spliced,  and  with  admirable  smartness  the  great 
sail  was  hoisted  again,  along  with  the  red  flag  streaming  at 


THE  ACTION   WITH  THE   CORVETTE.  89 

the  peak,  a  sight  that  raised  a  hurricane  of  cheers,  in  which 
I  found  myself  joining  until  I  was  hoarse. 

"Another  broadside,  my  lads,  to  avenge  that  affront!" 
shouted  Shelvocke;  and  again  our  guns  belched  forth  their 
lightning  and  thunder,  and  the  thick  pall  of  smoke  swept 
in  an  ugly  cloud  over  the  radiant  blue  waters. 

"  The  ship  to  leeward  has  hoisted  English  colors — she  is 
coming  up  fast — I  can  see  her  courses  down  to  the  tacks 
of  them!"  I  cried,  working  away  with  the  glass. 

"We  have  shot  away  the  Frenchman's  colors!"  sung  out 
Chestree  from  the  waist,  where  he  stood  with  his  face  as 
grimy  as  a  chimney-sweep's  from  the  sweat  and  powder 
that  covered  it. 

"She  has  hauled  them  down,  sir!"  cried  a  dozen  voices. 

"Not  a  bit  of  it!"  shouted  Shelvocke.  "Let  her  have 
another  broadside!  She's  not  to  be  meat  for  our  masters!" 
pointing  with  a  passionate  gesture  to  the  ship  to  leeward, 
whose  presence  seemed  to  make  him  mad. 

Amid  a  volley  of  cheers,  the  guns  were  again  fired.  We 
looked  to  see  the  effect.  For  some  minutes  the  corvette 
had  ceased  firing,  and  heeling  over  to  the  breeze,  she  was 
stretching  along  the  water  with  a  line  of  foam  along  her, 
against  which  sparkled  her  bright  copper,  though  the 
stately  fabric  aloft  was  in  sad  ruins,  her  sails  full  of  holes, 
her  mizzen-topmastgone,  her  high-pitched  bowsprit  looking 
like  the  stump  of  an  amputated  arm,  and  her  colors  vanished. 

Hardly  had  the  smoke  of  our  last  broadside  cleared 
away,  when  two  flags  were  run  up  to  her  main.  They  got 
foul  when  they  had  mounted  a  short  distance,  and  were 
hauled  down.  In  a  few  moments  they  were  hoisted  again, 
and  when  they  were  level  with  the  maintop,  they  blew  out 
And  disclosed  the  English  flag  flying  over  the  French  col- 
ors. We  stood  looking  on  in  perfect  silence  until  the  flags 
were  mast-headed,  and  then  such  a  roar  broke  from  the 
men  as  I  believe  only  British  throats  know  how  to  deliver. 
I  saw  rough  fellows  stripped  naked  to  the  waist  blubber 
like  children  as  they  shook  hands  with  one  another.  On 
the  news  being  taken  below,  where  the  surgeon  was  work- 
ing like  a  horse,  a  man  whose  knee  had  been  shattered  by 
a  grape-shot  compelled  the  bearers  of  the  news  to  carry 
him  on  deck,  where,  snatching  a  cutlass  from  the  hand  of 


90  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

one  of  his  mates,  he  brandished  it  over  his  head,  and  with 
a  half-suffocated  cheer  for  Captain  Shelvocke  and  the 
Tigress,  fainted  dead  away. 

"It  was  worth  the  risk,  was  it  not,  Madison?"  said  Shel- 
vocke,  looking  with  a  proud  smile  at  the  corvette,  and 
combing  the  sweat  from  his  forehead  with  his  hand. 

"It  was,  sir,"  I  answered  promptly;  "and  I  cordially 
congratulate  you  on  a  remarkable  victory." 

"Which  would  have  been  won  by  us,"  said  he,  "not  so 
speedily  perhaps,  but  in  the  end  quite  as  surely,  without 
the  presence  of  that  big  cruiser." 

Meanwhile  we  were  running  down  to  the  Frenchman, 
who  lay  with  his  mainyards  aback,  a  pitiful  spectacle  in- 
deed, the  significance  of  which  was  enormously  increased 
by  the  flags  at  the  mast-head.  As  we  drew  near,  we  saw 
that  her  hull  was  badly  knocked  about,  especially  in  the 
after-part,  and  her  bulwarks  abaft  the  mizzen-rigging  were 
full  of  holes,  some  of  them  as  cleanly  cut  as  if  a  chisel  had 
gouged  them  out.  We  rounded  to  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  to  windward  of  her,  and  lowered  a  boat,  into  which  I 
got  with  ten  men,  and  a  few  strokes  of  the  oars  took  us 
alongside. 

On  gaining  the  deck  of  the  prize,  I  was  received  by  a 
man  who  proved  to  be  the  first  lieutenant,  whose  resem- 
blance to  Bonaparte  was  so  extraordinary,  that  I  came  to 
a  dead  halt  when  I  saw  him.  His  very  pose,  as  he  stood 
to  receive  me,  was  that  of  the  First  Consul :  the  head  in- 
clined forward,  one  arm  reposing  on  the  breast,  and  the 
other  hanging  by  his  side. 

"Monsieur,"  said  he  in  French,  with  much  grief  not  un- 
mingled  with  dignity  in  his  manner,  "my  captain  being 
dead,  it  is  my  melancholy  duty  to  take  his  place,  and  to 
yield  possession  of  the  Diane  to  her  conquerors.  It  is  the 
fortune  of  war,  monsieur;"  and  with  a  low  bow  he  gave  me 
his  sword. 

I  understood  very  well  what  he  said,  but  my  stock  of 
French  was  small,  and  what  I  knew  I  was  reluctant  to  pro- 
nounce for  fear  of  being  laughed  at.  I  asked  him  if  he 
spoke  English. 

"A  leetel,"  said  he  with  much  such  a  grimace  as  a  man 
would  make  who  had  an  unpleasant  taste  in  his  mouth., 


THE  ACTION  WITH  THE  CORVETTE.  91 

"  Then,  monsieur,"  said  I,  "  I  sliould  be  glad  to  learn  from 
your  lips  that  your  yielding  to  the  privateer  schooner  Tigress 
was  not  occasioned  by  the  presence  of  that  ship  yonder;" 
and  I  pointed  to  the  British  vessel  to  leeward,  that  had 
tacked,  and  was  now  heading  to  fetch  us  by  a  couple  of 
boards,  and  that  turned  out  to  be  a  large  two-decker. 

"Sare, "  he  replied  with  a  slow  smile,  "ze  Diane  yields 
to  you.  "But,"  with  a  flourish  of  his  hands,  "had  it  not 
been  for  zat  sheep  zaire  we  should  have  continue  ze  fight." 

And  this  was  all  I  could  get  him  to  admit. 

That  the  fight  would  have  been  protracted  had  the  liner 
kept  her  sails  out  of  sight  I  do  not  deny,  and  have  always 
admitted  in  talking  over  the  engagement;  but  that  the  cor- 
vette would  ultimately  have  yielded  to  us  I  am  quite  confi- 
dent; for  having  the  weather-gage,  being  almost  uninjured 
aloft,  having  marvellous  sailing  qualities,  and  being  armed 
with  guns  which  could  have  battered  the  enemy  within  a 
radius  of  two  miles,  the  Tigress  might  have  been  backed  to 
have  knocked  the  Diane  into  a  sheer  hulk  in  less  than 
another  hour. 

The  survivors  of  her  crew  had  been  got  below,  and  my 
men  stood  guard  over  the  hatches ;  and,  having  a  clear  view 
of  the  deck,  I  beheld  as  ghastly  a  sight  as  the  horrors  of 
warfare  ever  furnished  forth.  The  main-deck  was  strewn 
with  carcasses :  the  scene  reminded  me  of  the  description  of 
the  deck  of  the  Salvador,  after  the  action  oif  Cape  St.  Vin- 
cent. In  addition  to  the  slaughter  caused  by  our  own  guns, 
one  of  the  main-deck  carronades  had  burst,  and  killed  twelve 
men  who  were  stationed  at  or  near  it.  It  was  enough  to 
freeze  the  marrow  in  a  man's  bones  to  see  the  shattered 
human  remains,  the  broad,  dark  scarlet  pools  in  which  the 
sunshine  flashed,  and  the  blood  straining  through  the  scup- 
per-holes, and  marking  long  dull-red  lines  down  the  ship's 
side,  and  crimsoning  the  green  water  where  they  touched  it. 

The  corvette  was  more  wrecked  aloft  than  appeared  at 
first  sight :  her  main  topmast  was  badly  wounded,  the  after 
part  of  her  main-top  shot  away,  and  to  starboard  her  main- 
mast was  supported  by  two  shrouds  only.  I  saw  that  if  the 
wind  freshened  these  spars  must  go,  unless  the  canvas  was 
handed  and  preventer  backstays  set  up.  I  accordingly 
jumped  on  to  the  rail,  and  waved  my  hat  to  the  Tigress, 


92  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

signifying  that  I  wanted  to  speak  her,  on  which  her  helm 
was  put  up  and  she  stood  toward  us. 

Surrounded  as  I  was  by  the  ghastly  memorials  of  the  con- 
flict, it  seemed  scarcely  a  moment  in  which  room  could  be 
found  for  admiring  the  beauty  of  the  schooner:  yet,  so  en- 
nobled was  she  by  her  triumph,  she  did  so  plead  to  my  ad- 
miration, that  I  could  not  remove  my  eyes  from  her  as  she 
swept  down  before  the  bright  breeze,  floating  like  a  swan 
on  the  deep  green  waves,  which  ran  along  her  ebony  sides 
without  lifting  her,  and  revealing  as  they  curled  past,  the 
vivid  sheen  of  her  metal  sheathing,  while  the  British  cannon 
bristled  under  her  high  bulwarks,  and  her  white  sails,  deli- 
cately shaded  at  the  after-leeches,  soared  upon  a  sky  whose 
ripe  afternoon  beauty  made  a  superb  background  for  one  of 
the  gracefulest  fabrics  which  ever  breasted  the  waters  of 
the  deep. 

As  I  knew  Shelvocke  would  sing  out  some  inquiries,  I  put 
a  few  questions  to  my  Napoleonic  friend,  who  remained  at 
my  side,  and  whose  utter  dejection  deprived  me  both  of  the 
will  and  the  wish  to  send  him  below,  though  I  believe  it 
was  my  duty  to  have  done  so.  In  a  few  minutes  the  Ti- 
gress was  within  speaking  range,  whereupon  she  hauled  up 
the  clew  of  her  mainsail,  and  ranged  abreast  of  us  with  her 
sails  shaking. 

"Tigress,  ahoy!"  I  shouted. 

"  Hallo!"  answered  Shelvocke,  standing  on  the  rail  of  the 
bulwark. 

"  You  had  better  send  some  men  aboard  to  fish  and  doctor 
the  corvette's  spars,  sir,  a  few  of  which  are  badly  wounded. 
We  are  terribly  crippled  aloft,  and  a  gang  of  thirty  men 
won't  be  too  many  to  do  what  is  wanted." 

Shelvocke  raised  his  hands  to  betoken  that  he  heard  me; 
and  after  a  short  interval,  during  which  a  boatswain's  pipe 
sang  like  a  bird  on  the  schooner's  forecastle,  a  couple  of 
boats  full  of  men  shoved  off. 

While  they  approached,  Shelvocke  called  to  me  to  give 
him  the  particulars  of  the  prize. 

"  She's  the  French  thirty-eight-gun  corvette  Diane,  Cap- 
tain Eugene  Tournelle,"  I  answered,  delivering  my  words 
through  the  hollows  of  my  hands,  and  shouting  at  the  top 
of  my  voice  j  for  not  only  was  the  wind  dead  in  my  teeth, 


THE  ACTION  WITH  THE  CORVETTE.  93 

but  overhead  the  sails  were  shaking  like  a  thousand  cocks 
flapping  their  wings  for  a  crow,  and  the  water  washed  noisily 
along  the  side  of  the  motionless  hull.  "  She  mounts  a  few 
long  eighteens  and  twenty-six  sixty -four-pound  carronades. 
It  is  believed  that  she  has  twenty-eight  men  killed,  twelve 
of  them  by  the  bursting  of  a  gun,  among  them  her  com- 
mander, and  between  thirty  and  forty  wounded,  including 
her  second  and  third  lieutenants.  Her  complement  is  three 
hundred  and  eight  and  she  has  seven  English  prisoners 
aboard,  being  a  portion  of  the  crew  of  H.  B.  M.'s  cutter 
Severn,  which  she  captured  three  days  ago,  with  despatches, 
ten  miles  to  the  norrard  of  Cuxhaven." 

Shelvocke  again  waved  his  hand,  and  got  off  the  rail  and 
went  aft,  where  he  stood  looking  over  the  taffrail  at  the 
two-decker,  that  had  gone  about  and  was  lying  up  to  fetch 
us  under  every  stitch  of  sail  that  would  draw. 

I  had  now  half  the  Tigress''  crew  aboard ;  and,  with  the 
help  of  the  boatswain  and  carpenter,  I  started  them  on  the 
various  refitting  jobs  which  the  corvette  immediately  re- 
quired. There  were  some  shot-holes  in  her  hull  that  wanted 
plugging,  but  none  between  wind  and  water,  and  the  pumps 
gave  us  an  almost  dry  hold.  What  needed  most  attention 
was  the  mainmast,  that,  on  examination,  was  found  to  have 
received  one  of  our  twenty -four-pound  shot  about  half  a  dozen 
feet  below  the  top. 

Our  men  were  appalled  by  the  sight  of  the  dead  upon  the 
decks,  and  seemed  glad  enough  to  jump  aloft  to  get  away 
from  the  bodies.  I  inquired  of  the  first  lieutenant  for  the 
body  of  the  captain,  and  was  told  that  he  had  been  carried 
below  on  receiving  his  wound,  and  that  the  corpse  lay  in 
the  state-cabin.  Shocking  as  the  ship  looked  with  the  dead 
scattered  about  her  decks,  I  could  not  glance  my  eye  over 
her  without  pride  and  wonder.  She  was  only  a  year  old; 
and  in  spite  of  her  having  been  ploughed  into  a  shambles  and 
so  cut  up  in  her  rigging  that,  fore  and  aft,  she  was  littered 
with  rope's-ends,  fragments  of  canvas,  splinters,  blocks, 
and  such-like  raffle,  together  with  capsized  tubs,  muskets, 
pikes,  and  a  whole  ocean  of  different  kinds  of  shot — enough 
hints  yet  survived  to  suggest  the  beautiful  completeness  she 
had  exhibited  before  she  came  into  action.  Where  her  decks 
were  not  stained  with  blood  or  blackened  with  the  grime  of 


94  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

powder,  they  were  as  white  as  the  paper  on  which  this  is 
printed.  Her  brass-work  was  so  radiant  that  the  eye  was 
blinded  by  the  sparkle  of  the  sunshine  in  it;  her  guns  were 
noble  pieces  of  ordnance ;  her  masts  and  yards,  magnificent 
spars :  the  French  love  of  embellishment  had  gone  so  far  in 
her  that  even  the  coamings  of  her  hatches  were  ornamented 
with  graceful  carvings;  every  rope  lying  in  the  chafe  of 
another  was  carefully  served ;  and  the  ends  of  most  of  her 
running  rigging,  instead  of  being  "  pointed"  or  "  whipped" 
as  with  us,  were  fitted  with  small  brass  caps.  There  was 
a  "  cap  of  liberty"  on  the  skylight,  an  object  about  seven 
inches  long,  made  of  wood  and  painted  red,  with  a  round 
tapering  spear  of  brass,  three  and  a  half  inches  long,  the 
lower  half  blackened,  with  a  screw  at  the  end,  to  fix  it  to 
the  masthead — a  genuine  republican  signal,  which  many 
French  vessels  in  those  days  sent  aloft  when  they  went  into 
action,  but  which,  in  the  case  of  the  Diane,  had  probably 
been  overlooked  amid  the  confusion  when  she  missed 
stays. 

The  French  lieutenant,  who  appeared  crushed  with  his 
misfortunes,  watched  me  as  I  ran  my  eyes  over  the  cor- 
vette, and  when  our  glance  met,  he  said : 

"A  fine  sheep,  sare." 

"Ay,"  I  rejoined,  "a  vessel  that  does  honor  to  the  skill 
of  your  dock -yards." 

"  But  she  will  fight  ze  battles  of  Great  Bretagne  now, 
monsieur,"  he  exclaimed  mournfully. 

"  It  is  the  fortune  of  war,  sir, "  I  answered,  repeating  his 
own  remark. 

"What  a  prize  for  zat  footy  leetel  sheep!"  cried  he,  ex- 
tending his  hands  with  a  passionate  gesture  of  annoyance 
and  astonishment  as  he  looked  at  Tigress.  "  Your  papaires 
vil  make  moch  of  this  sare,  no  doubt." 

"  Still  we  would  rather  have  risked  another  hour's  fight 
with  you  than  have  seen  these  colors  up  there  flying  with 
that  English  ship  in  sight." 

"Yes,  I  understan',"  said  he,  with  a  shrug  of  the 
shoulders,  and,  raising  his  hat,  he  went  below. 

His  wonder  that  the  Diane  should  have  fallen  a  prize  to 
the  schooner  was  quite  reasonable.  The  result  of  the  en- 
gagement I  considered  little  short  of  a  miracle  when  I  con- 


THE  ACTION  WITH  THE  CORVETTE.  95 

trasted  the  sizes  of  the  two  vessels,  and  considered  the  differ- 
ence between  the  strength  of  the  crews  and  the  weight  of 
the  metal.  If  it  had  not  been  that  the  Tigress'  fore-top- 
mast was  shot  away  under  the  royal  yard,  she  would  have 
exhibited  no  visible  injury  whatever  aloft,  beyond  the  shot- 
holes  in  her  canvas.  Also  we  had  suffered  a  very  trifling 
loss  in  men,  and  our  hull  was  but  little  damaged,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  habit  of  the  French  gunners  of  elevating  their 
pieces  so  as  to  cripple  their  enemies' s  spars.  Comparing 
the  Tigress'  condition  with  that  of  the  Diane's,  and  bear- 
ing in  mind  the  schooner's  qualities,  and  Shelvocke's  clever 
handling  of  her,  I  began  to  sympathize  with  my  captain's 
chagrin  when  I  looked  over  the  corvette's  lee  quarter,  and 
watched  the  British  two-decker  edging  up  for  us.  Argue 
as  we  might,  her  presence  would  rob  us  of  half  the  glory  of 
our  conquest.  No  one  would  credit  that  this  thirty-eight- 
gun  corvette  would  have  struck  to  a  privateer  of  twelve 
guns,  had  the  British  line-of-battle  ship  not  hove  in  sight. 
But  it  could  not  be  helped,  and  I  now  waited  impatiently 
for  the  two-decker  to  come  up  to  us,  as  it  was  evident  that 
Shelvocke  meant  to  take  instructions  from  her  before  he  left 
the  ground. 

Strong  as  was  the  sense  of  pique  in  me,  however,  I  could 
not  behold  the  majestic  fabric  drawing  along  the  water  with- 
out kiodling  emotions.  Her  stately  heights  of  canvas  slanted 
her  about  a  couple  of  streaks,  and  she  presented  her  weather 
broadside  as  she  swam  forward,  her  long  jibboom  pointing, 
like  the  spear  of  a  Colossus,  a  few  points  to  leeward  of  our 
bow,  and  her  prodigious  stretch  of  cloths  filling  a  broad 
space  of  sky  with  canvas  that  glistened  like  snow  on  a 
mountain-top.  Her  double  lines  of  guns  grinned  along  the 
white  streaks,  and  the  green  and  foamy  surges  toppling 
against  her  huge  side  looked,  by  contrast  with  her  bulk,  no 
more  than  the  ripples  of  an  inland  lake.  Her  long  pennant 
flashed  like  a  line  of  fire  against  the  deep  azure,  and,  start- 
ing from  that  great  altitude,  the  eye  ran  down  a  succession 
of  widening  sails  and  spars  of  black  rope,  and  the  exquisite 
lace-work  of  the  thin,  running-gear.  Her  forecastle  rail 
was  dotted  with  seamen  dressed  in  white,  and  figures  could 
be  seen  in  her  tops,  while  here  and  there  in  a  window 
glanced  back  the  play  of  the  luminous  water,  and  a  smali 


96  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

bed  of  foam  hung  like  a  heap  of  snow  at  her  stem,  and 
twinkled  frostily  along  the  gold-bronze  metal  armor  that 
sheathed  her  bottom. 

She  proved  to  be  His  Britannic  Majesty's  ship  Endymion, 
and  as  she  floated  into  a  position  abeam  of  us  she  clewed  up 
her  light  sails  and  courses  and  backed  her  fore-yards  all  si- 
multaneously, as  though  the  whole  operation  had  been  per- 
formed by  pulling  a  lever,  as  the  motion  of  a  crank  sets  a 
hundred  dolls  dancing  in  a  breath.  No  sooner  was  she  at 
rest  than  a  boat  was  lowered  from  the  Tigress,  into  which 
jumped  Shelvocke,  and  pulled  away  to  the  seventy-four. 

All  this  time  the  weather  remained  magnificent,  with  a 
soft,  fresh  wind  blowing  out  of  the  south,  and  here  and 
there  a  wool-white  clond  speeding  across  the  liquid  blue  like 
a  puff  of  steam.  I  have  often  thought  that  the  three  ves- 
sels, as,  they  lay  abreast,  made  as  striking  an  after-battle 
picture  as  any  which  the  records  of  single  actions  could 
supply.  The  presence  of  the  line-of -battle  ship  with  her 
sky-searching  masts  and  enormous  breadth  of  yards,  on 
which  a  man  looked  no  bigger  than  a  fly,  and  the  superb 
completeness  of  her  trim  aloft,  and  the  sparkle  of  epaulets 
at  the  gangway,  and  the  color  of  the  uniforms  of  the  marines, 
and  of  a  number  of  soldiers  which  she  had  on  board,  lent 
such  an  emphasis  to  the  maimed,  blood-stained,  and  crippled 
corvette,  whose  spars  were  dotted  with  our  men  at  work  on 
the  difficult  and  perilous  job  of  refitting,  as  she  would  hardly 
have  taken  from  the  neighborhood  of  the  Tigress  only. 

In  truth,  I  was  glad  to  look  anywhere  but  on  the  deck  of 
the  prize  where  the  dead  lay.  It  was  evidently  the  broad- 
side we  had  given  her  when  she  missed  stays  and  while  we 
were  tacking  under  her  quarter  that  had  done  most  execu- 
tion; and  considering  the  small  quantity  of  powder  that 
had  been  burnt  in  this  action,  the  condition  of  the  Diane's 
spars  and  rigging  and  the  sieve-like  appearance  of  her  after- 
bulwarks  illustrated  in  a  manner  that  struck  me  forcibly  the 
extraordinary  precision  with  which  our  guns  had  been 
pointed. 

Just  as  the  boat  containing  Shelvocke  passed  under  the 
stern  of  the  Endymion,  the  lieutenant  of  the  corvette  came 
up  out  of  the  cabin  and  stood  for  some  moments  with  his 
hand  resting  on  the  companion,  looking  at  the  big  ship. 


THE  ACTION  WITH  THE  CORVETTE.  97 

He  glanced  round  at  me  and  broke  from  his  reverie  with  an 
apologetic  smile. 

"  We  have  built  some  fine  ships  for  your  service,  mon- 
sieur," said  he  in  French.  "That  vessel  was  our  Renom- 
viee,  and  once  carried  the  flag  of  Admiral  Villebert." 

I  replied  in  English  that  our  Government  was  quite  will- 
ing to  leave  France  in  possession  of  her  fleets,  providing  she 
would  use  them  for  the  preservation  of  her  own  trade  instead 
of  the  destruction  of  the  trade  of  other  nations.  "  We  have 
in  our  country, "  said  I,  "  a  place  called  Hartwell,  where  there 
lives  a  country  gentleman  known  by  the  name  of  Monsieur. 
You  have  doubtless  heard  of  him,  sir.  He  may  not  be  able 
to  gain  your  ships,  but  if  you  will  call  him  to  Paris  he'll 
show  you  how  to  keep  what  you  have." 

"  Sot!  animal!  faineant!"  said  he,  grinding  out  the  words 
between  his  teeth  and  turning  away  with  an  expression  of 
bitter  indignation  after  having  bestowed  upon  me  a  frown 
so  Bonapartesque  (if  1  nay  use  such  a  word)  that  the  re- 
semblance was  enough  10  make  a  man  a  laugh  outright. 
Whether  these  flattering  epithets  were  meant  for  me  or 
"  Monsieur"  I  did  not  know,  and  to  be  plain  I  did  not  care. 
I  never  thought  much  of  a  Frenchman's  rage.  Perhaps  I 
should  have  spared  the  observation  that  annoyed  him;  but 
it  was  almost  impossible  to  look  at  him  without  irritation, 
he  was  so  deucedly  like  the  Corsican  bully.  However,  I 
was  sorry  for  the  poor  fellow's  situation,  and  recognized  the 
claim  he  had  upon  my  utmost  civility;  so  mustering  up 
the  blandest  smile  at  my  command,  I  begged  his  pardon  if 
I  had  said  anything  to  offend  him,  and  changed  the  subject 
by  asking  him  how  his  ship  had  managed  to  miss  stays? 

He  gave  me  the  technical  reasons,  but  as  he  did  not  know 
the  English  equivalents,  and  as  I  could  not  understand  the 
French  professional  terms,  he  left  me  as  wise  as  I  was  at 
the  beginning.  Had  he  said  they  had  jammed  her  up  in  the 
wind,  and  stopped  her  way  before  they  put  the  helm  down, 
he  would  have  given  the  right  explanation.  But  he  talked 
of  le  vent  and  le  goxivernail  and  the  demoralisation  of  the 
timmonier,  so  far  as  I  could  follow  him,  and  made  a  long 
scientific  yarn  out  of  an  incident  which  was  to  be  explained 
by  two  words,  uBad  seamanship." 

The  English  prisoners  had  been  liberated  on  our  coming 
7 


9£  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

aboard,  and  had  been  sent  aloft  along  with  the  Tigress'  men 
to  help  doctor  the  spars  and  rigging.  Some  of  them,  as  well 
as  a  portion  of  my  own  men,  having  finished  the  jobs  allotted 
to  them,  came  down,  and  I  ordered  them  to  range  the  dead 
bodies  decorously  and  cover  them  with  a  spare  sail  until 
orders  for  their  disposal  should  have  been  received.  I 
imagined  the  fellows  would  not  like  the  task;  the  Tigresses 
certainly  went  about  it  reluctantly,  and  from  some  of  the 
ghastlier  things  they  hung  back  with  such  disordered  coun- 
tenances that  I  had  scarcly  the  heart  to  urge  them  on.  But 
the  men  out  of  the  captured  cutter  had  no  compunction. 
Their  treatment  of  the  dead  was  grossly  indecent  and  re- 
volting. Every  insult  that  it  was  possible  for  them  to  offer, 
they  heaped  upon  the  remains  of  their  dead  enemies,  and 
from  time  to  time  one  or  the  other  of  them  would  make 
some  remark  which  invariably  produced  a  shout  of  laughter 
from  his  inhuman  companions. 

"  What  are  you  about?"  I  shouted,  horrified  by  the  rascals' 
behavior,  and  enraged  that  the  French  lieutenant  should 
witness  such  conduct  in  British  seamen.  "  Why,  the  South 
Sea  cannibals  would  set  you  an  example  in  decency,  you 
brutes!  Treat  those  bodies  respectfully,  do  you  hear?  or 
I'll  send  such  a  report  to  the  captain  of  that  ship  yonder 
as  will  earn  you  the  best  lashing  that  ever  you  got  in  your 
lives." 

"  Please  your  honor, "  answered  one  of  them,  pointing  to 
a  body,  "  this  here  cove  kicked  me  on  the  shins  yesterday 
for  axing  him  for  a  chew  of  tobacco." 

"  And  they  thought  nothen  of  calling  our  King  a  cochong, 
sir!"  bawled  another. 

"  I  don't  care  about  that,"  said  I.  "  Handle  those  bodies 
respectfully,  or  I'll  have  you  stretched  until  you're  thin 
enough  to  crawl  aboard  through  a  scupper-hole." 

I  watched  them  sharply,  thinking  that,  as  men  in  receipt 
of  King's  pay,  they  might  dispute  the  authority  of  a  pri- 
vateersman,  in  which  case  I  should  have  set  my  own  men 
upon  them ;  but  they  took  fright  at  my  threatening  to  re- 
port them,  and  one  of  them  looking  over  the  bulwarks  and 
seeing  a  boat  pulling  toward  us  from  the  Endymion,  they 
went  to  work  as  soberly  as  monks,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
the  dead  were  hidden,   though  in  the  waist  and  forward 


THE  ACTION  WITH  THE  CORVETTE.  99 

there  was  blood  upon   almost  everything  the   eye    rested 
on. 

The  French  lieutenant  went  below  when  he  saw  the  En- 
dymion's  boat;  and  observing  Shelvocke  and  an  officer  in 
her,  I  sung  out  for  the  side  to  be  manned.  The  foam 
flashed  up  in  smoke  under  the  boat's  bows  as  she  advanced, 
swept  along  by  twelve  oars  which  dropped  and  rose  with 
beautiful  precision,  while  beyond  her  floated  the  huge  two- 
decker,  as  motionless  as  a  tower  upon  the  water,  and  the 
reflection  of  the  lustrous  waves  trembling  in  her  sides  as  you 
may  see  the  sunlight  gleam  in  the  well-curried  hide  of  a 
horse. 

The  moment  Shelvocke  gained  the  deck  he  shook  me  by 
the  hand  and  thanked  me  for  my  assistance  in  the  engage- 
ment that  had  made  this  noble  ship  prize  to  the  Tigress. 
His  manner  was  more  gratifying  than  his  words.  The 
officer  who  accompanied  him,  making  me  a  bow,  said  that 
he  considered  the  achievement  of  the  schooner  truly  re- 
markable, "and  I  only  regret,"  said  he,  "she  is  not  a 
King's  ship,  that  her  commander  and  officers  might  obtain 
the  reward  which  their  courage  merits." 

All  this  was  very  nice,  and  I  think  that  we  had  some 
right  to  feel  proud  when  we  saw  the  officer  looking  around 
at  the  vessel,  and  at  her  heavy  batteries,  and  her  powerful 
scantling  and  the  wreckage  aloft ;  and  then  at  the  Tigress, 
the  audacious  little  instrument  of  this  new  disaster  to  poor 
Johnny  Frenchman,  lying  to  windward,  slightly  lifting  to 
the  green  waters  which  played  round  her  stationary  hull, 
with  nothing  missing  aloft  but  her  royal  and  sky -sail  yards, 
and  her  white  canvas  filling  and  shivering  as  she  fell  off  and 
came  to  under  the  action  of  the  helm. 

It  had  been  arranged  aboard  the  liner  that  the  prisoners 
were  to  remain  in  the  prize,  that  I  was  to  take  charge  of 
her  to  Portsmouth  with  such  of  the  crew  of  the  Tigress  as 
were  on  board,  and  that,  as  in  consequence  of  the  division 
of  the  schooner's  crew,  neither  she  nor  the  corvette  would 
be  in  a  position  to  engage  any  enemy's  ship  that  might 
come  upon  the  scene,  the  Endymion  would  convoy  us  to 
Portsmouth.  Having  therefore  given  me  the  instructions 
I  required,  Shelvocke  returned  to  the  schooner  and  the 
officer  to  the  Endymion;  and  on  the  latter  firing  a  gun,  we 


100  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE 

sheeted  home  the  fore  and  main  topsails  and  under  as  much 
canvas  as  we  dared  carry  stood  after  the  two-decker,  with 
the  Tigress  on  our  weather  quarter. 

So  terminated  the  action  with  the  corvette,  which,  I  need 
hardly  say,  we  brought  safely  into  Portsmouth,  along  with 
the  Hanover,  whom  we  overhauled  at  daybreak  next  morn- 
ing. The  Diane  was  purchased  by  the  English  Govern- 
ment, and  taken  into  the  Navy  under  the  name  of  the  Diana. 
She  was  wrecked  off  the  Isle  d'Oleron  only  seven  months 
after  she  had  refitted,  and  one  hundred  and  twelve  persons 
perished  with  her. 

Several  accounts  of  the  engagement  appeared  in  the  news- 
papers of  the  time ;  but  though  the  pluck  of  the  Tigress  was 
warmly  praised,  it  was  also  said  that  the  corvette  had  been 
hurried  into  striking  by  the  Endymion's  heaving  in  sight, 
and  thus  robbed  the  bullion  of  its  lustre,  though  it  left  the 
metal  good  gold  all  the  same.  We  remained  at  Portsmouth 
twelve  days,  during  which  time  the  Tigress  was  visited  by 
several  hundreds  of  persons,  so  lively  was  the  interest  her 
exploit  had  raised.  Among  these  visitors  was  Sir  James, 
afterward  Lord  de  Saumarez,  the  hero  of  Algesiras,  one  of 
the  bravest  and  certainly  one  of  the  most  neglected  men  of 
that  age,  whose  share  in  Aboukir  was  only  second  to  that 
of  Nelson,  and  who  was  rewarded  by  Evan  Nepean's^W^afe 
applause,  when  men  for  smaller  deeds  were  being  raised  to 
the  peerage,  and  getting  the  thanks  of  Parliament.  Shel- 
vocke  was  in  London  at  the  time,  and  I  had  the  honor  of 
receiving  this  brave  and  Christian  gentleman,  and  relating 
to  him  the  story  of  the  action  with  the  Frenchman.  He 
said  to  me  as  he  went  over  the  side :  '•  I  have  always  had  a 
dislike  to  privateering  as  a  business  in  which  more  evil  is 
done  than  any  government  ought  to  sanction.  Merchant- 
men have  no  right  to  fight  unless  in  their  own  defense. 
But  after  hearing  your  story,  and  observing  the  discipline 
and  beauty  of  this  vessel,  I  shall  hereafter  think  of  priva- 
teering with  indulgence." 

When  I  repeated  this  to  Shelvocke,  he  said  it  was  the 
best  bit  of  praise  he  had  yet  received. 


CHAPTER  V. 

CAPE    ANTIFER. 

The  triumphs  of  the  Tigress,  won  within  twenty-four 
hours  after  her  departure  from  the  West  India  Docks,  and 
Shelvocke's  clever  and  audacious  handling  of  her,  had  given 
wonderful  confidence  and  enthusiasm  to  the  men,  who  not 
only  knew  the  qualities  of  the  vessel,  but  their  power  to 
fight  an  enemy  three  times  the  Tigress'  size ;  and  when  the 
schooner,  thoroughly  refitted,  and  with  her  full  complement 
of  men  aboard,  set  sail  from  Portsmouth,  there  was  not  a 
crew  afloat  upon  the  seas  at  that  time  more  resolute,  hearty, 
and  united  than  the  ninety  brave  fellows  who  swung  their 
hammocks  in  the  'tween-decks  of  Hannay's  beautiful 
privateer. 

I  never  felt  the  gladness  and  independence  of  our  life  of 
licensed  freebooting  more  keenly  than  on  this  day  as  I  stood 
on  the  Tigress'  quarter-deck  looking  at  the  distant  green- 
crowned  heights  of  the  Isle  of  Wight,  with  Nettleston 
Point  drawing  out  to  Bainbridge,  and  receding  into  San- 
down  Bay,  where  the  coast-line  melted  into  a  film  of  blue 
cloud,  with  a  line  of  lustrous  white  between  it  and  the 
throbbing  waters  of  the  horizon,  while  the  broad  English 
Channel  opened  into  an  interminable  reach  of  gleaming  sea 
over  our  bows. 

The  wind  was  off  the  shore,  and  we  went  along  leisurely, 
with  the  main -boom  well  over  the  quarter,  and  the  huge 
squaresail  softly  lifting,  and  the  water  creaming  past  us; 
when,  Donnose  being  a  pale  blue  blob  no  bigger  than  a  pea 
astern  of  us,  a  sail  hove  in  sight  that,  on  nearing,  proved  to 
be  a  small  armed  English  cutter,  having  in  tow  a  large 
French  schooner,  cut  in  pieces  aloft.  It  was  as  odd  a  sight 
as  ever  I  saw,  and  the  men  stood  laughing  at  it  until  the  tears 
hopped  down  their  iron  visages ;  for  the  cutter  was  certainly 


102  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

not  more  than  five-and-thirty  tons,  and  looked  deplorably 
ragged  and  dirty ;  whereas  the  hulk,  for  she  was  a  schooner 
no  longer,  having  only  her  lower  masts  sticking  out  of  her 
deck  like  two  immense  pumps,  was  considerably  over  a  hun- 
dred tons,  with  four  guns  of  a  side,  and  a  big  brass  swivel 
on  the  forecastle ;  so  that,  as  they  crept  along  the  sea,  they 
resembled  an  ant  hauling  a  caterpillar  into  its  nest,  or  a 
puppy  with  the  carcass  of  a  sheep  made  fast  to  its  tail. 

We  ran  down  for  a  near  view,  and  on  hailing  the  cutter, 
a  midshipman  about  the  size  of  a  common  monkey  got  upon 
the  rail,  and  asked  what  we  wanted. 

"Are  you  in  charge?"  inquired  Shelvocke. 

"Certainly  I  am,"  answered  the  middy,  in  a  haughty 
drawl,  thrusting  his  hands  into  his  pockets. 

"You  appear  to  have  a  lumping  prize  astern  of  you," 
said  Shelvocke,  preserving  his  gravity  with  an  effort. 

"Yes;  but,  you  see,  we've  dismasted  her,  though  not 
before  they  killed  all  the  cutters'  officers  but  me." 

"Where  are  your  prisoners?" 

"  Most  of  'em  overboard,  but  there  are  thirty  of  them  in 
the  hulk;  and  if  you  were  going  my  way,  I'd  ask  you  to 
lend  me  a  couple  of  those  fat,  grinning  hands  of  yours  to 
sit  upon  the  prize's  fore-hatch,  as  I  can  only  muster  seven 
men,  five  of  whom  are  wanted  to  work  the  cutter,  so  that 
there  are  only  two  to  guard  the  hulk's  hatches;  and  they're 
so  reduced  in  flesh  by  feeding  on  Admiralty  stores,  that  if 
the  Frenchmen  were  only  to  combine  their  lungs  and  fetch 
a  heavy  breath,  I'll  be  hanged  if  they  wouldn't  blow  my 
men  overboard  like  chaff!"  and  the  little  fellow  laughed  so 
uproariously  that  he  lost  his  balance  and  toppled  backward 
on  the  deck,  though  he  was  up  again  in  a  moment. 

"  We'll  convoy  you  in  if  j^ou  like,"  sung  out  Shelvocke. 

"No,  thanks;  we've  managed  without  you  so  far,  and 
we'll  risk  what  remains.  I  say,"  he  shrieked  through  his 
hands,  for  we  were  fast  widening  our  distance,  "  how  far 
are  we  off  the  Isle  of  Wight?" 

"St.  Catherine's  point  bears  about  fourteen  miles  N.  W. 
by  W." 

The  plucky  little  creature  flourished  his  hat  and  dropped 
on  to  the  deck,  where,  the  bulwarks  being  taller  than  he,  we 
lost  sight  of  him.     Aboard  the  hulk  we  could  only  see  two 


CAPE  ANTIFER.  103 

men,  armed  with  cutlasses  and  muskets,  standing  at  the 
fore-hatch,  and  a  boy  steering.  Whether  there  were  really 
thirty  prisoners  below,  it  was  impossible  to  say ;  but  that 
the  prize  was  a  genuine  capture,  and  won  b}7  a  desperate 
fight,  was  proved  not  only  by  the  smallness  of  the  number 
of  the  cutter's  people,  but  by  the  manner  in  which  she  was 
cut  up  aloft  and  by  the  shots  in  her  hull  and  the  splintered 
condition  of  her  bulwarks  and  stern. 

"  Smite  my  timbers,  Bill,  if  ever  I  see  the  like  of  that!" 
I  heard  one  of  our  boatswain's  mates  exclaim  as  he  looked 
after  the  cutter;  "no  wonder  old  Wooden  Shoes  funks  us 
when  newly  weaned  British  babbies  go  forth  and  capture 
his  vessels."' 

Although  Shelvocke  did  not  want  to  insult  the  little  chap 
by  keeping  near  him,  he  shortened  sail  and  hauled  to  the 
westward,  and  so  held  the  cutter  and  her  prize  in  sight 
until  shortly  after  one  o'clock,  when  the  cutter  hav- 
ing tacked,  we  sighted  a  sloop-of-war,  apparently  fresh 
from  Spithead,  coming  down  toward  the  two  vessels,  on 
which,  as  we  knew  she  would  give  the  midshipman  all  the 
help  he  required,  we  made  sail,  and  stood  for  the  French 
coast. 

We  dined  this  day  at  two  o'clock,  and  Peacock  was  in- 
vited to  join.  So  four  of  us  sat  down,  while  Tapping 
stumped  the  hot  deck  overhead.  It  was  cool  enough,  how- 
ever, in  the  little  cabin ;  for  the  mild  wind  blew  in  a  pleas- 
ant draught  down  the  open  skylight,  through  which  you 
could  see  the  immense  mainsail  stretching  in  a  whole  ocean 
of  white  canvas  against  the  sky,  while  the  long  withe-like 
topmast,  that  terminated  at  a  height  of  a  hundred  and 
forty  feet  from  the  cabin-floor,  seemed,  like  a  pencil  in  the 
hand  of  a  giant,  to  be  making  a  scroll  of  the  face  of  the 
heavens,  as  the  gentle  motion  of  the  vessel  swept  the  point 
of  the  tall  spar  here  and  there. 

I  ate  my  dinner  thankfully,  for  I  was  as  hungry  as  a  wolf, 
while  Chestree  let  his  plate  grow  cold  over  some  long  yarn 
of  a  cutting-out  expedition  he  had  picked  up  from  a  third 
lieutenant  whom  he  had  met  at  Portsmouth.  On  my  ear  it 
was  a  story  that  fell  flat  enough;  but  Peacock  attended, 
with  his  handsome  eyes  gleaming  like  the  optics  of  a  Span- 
ish woman  when  listening  to  the  man  she  loves,  and  his 


104  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

delicate  cheeks  glowed  with  as  pretty  a  damask  as  ever  the 
eloquent  blood  wrought  in  the  human  face. 

I  caught  Shelvocke — when  he  thought  himself  unperceived 
— watching  the  lad  with  great  admiration,  and  another  ex- 
pression which  I  cannot  very  well  define:  it  was  such  a 
mixture  of  melancholy  and  pleasure,  half-wistful,  half- 
reluctant,  as  though  memory  were  working  in  against  the 
will;  but  in  all  which  I  should  have  found  nothing  to  mar- 
vel at,  seeing  that  the  youth  had  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
faces  I  ever  beheld  out  of  the  canvas  of  some  of  the  Italian 
masters,  not  to  mention  his  melodious  voice  and  an  inde- 
scribably delightful  gentleness  of  manner  mingled  with  a 
sound  element  of  manliness,  had  not  the  skipper  suddenly 
caught  me  with  my  eyes  fixed  on  him,  whereupon  the  pen- 
sive expression  went  out  of  his  face  with  an  abruptness  that 
had  it  been  acted  would  have  been  thought  as  fine  a  thing 
as  Kemble's  transition  from  softness  to  scorn  in  Hamlet; 
and  for  some  moments  he  was  as  cold  and  stern  as  ever 
I  remember  seeing  him  when  preparing  his  vessel  to 
engage. 

However  he  presently  thawed,  and  asked  me  to  take  wine 
with  him. 

"  You  remember  the  French  lugger  we  chased,  Madison?" 
said  he — "she  that  burned  the  little  Happy-go-Lucky?  I 
have  often  been  bothered  to  think  what  she  could  have 
meant  by  booming  out  her  lugs  and  running  dead  for  the 
Goodwins.  My  idea  was  that  they  meant  to  run  her 
aground  and  set  fire  to  her  and  drag  their  boats  over  the 
sand  into  the  waters  beyond  and  escape  in  that  way.  But 
a  pilot  whom  I  met  in  London,  and  to  whom  I  told  the  story, 
said  that  this  was  an  old  trick  of  Johnny's — that  what  they 
were  really  trying  for  was  a  swatchway  about  a  mile  to  the 
east  of  the  South  Sand  Head.  They  could  have  floated  over 
by  dropping  their  guns  and  stores  overboard,  and  had  they 
managed  it  they  would  have  escaped.  Their  dodges  are  a 
proper  study,  and  I  live  and  learn." 

"  Strange  that  the  French,  who  are  so  fond  of  dancing 
that  a  lump  of  sugar  in  a  glass  of  water  will  set  them  caper- 
ing, don't  like  our  English  halls"  said  Chestree,  grinning 
with  his  capacious  mouth  over  his  vile  pun. 

"  By  the  way,  Chestree,  talking  of  balls,  you  were  rather 


CAPE  ANTIFER.  105 

against  our  engaging  the   Diane,   weren't  you,   eh?"    ex- 
claimed Shelvocke. 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  was — I  considered  she  was  too  big  for  us, 
sir,"  answered  Chestree  candidly. 

"Nothing  is  too  big  for  us,"  said  Shelvocke  shortly. 

"No,  not  to  look  at,  sir — but  to  fight!  One  Englishman 
is  equal  to  ten  Frenchmen,  I'll  allow — but  when  you  come 
to  double  that  number " 

"Pooh,  pooh!"  interrupted  Shelvocke,  "never  talk  of 
counting  your  enemies,  man.  Had  you  begun  to  compute 
when  you  were  third  of  the  Syria,  and  headed  the  boarders 
who  cleared  the  decks  of  Le  Phoenix,  where  would  you  be 
now?  Why,  the  French  worms  would  be  polishing  your 
bones,  man,  wouldn't  they?  Never  trouble  yourself  to 
think  when  once  fighting  becomes  necessary.  That's  the 
principle  of  that  magnificent  fellow  Cochrane,  who  is  the 
noblest  Roman  of  us  all  since  Nelson's  death.  Lord  Gam- 
bier,  poor  old  thing,  thought,  you  may  remember,  and  you 
now  what  came  of  it.  Madison,  this  is  no  oblique  denunci- 
ation of  you,  though  I  believe  you  were  of  Chestree's  mind." 

"I  was,"  I  answered,  and  was  beginning  to  state  my 
reasons  when  he  interrupted  me. 

"  Come,  gentlemen,  pass  the  wine  along.  Whatever  peo- 
ple may  be  pleased  to  say  concerning  the  audacity  of  the 
Tigress1  commander,  my  resolution  would  have  made  but 
a  ridiculous  figure  of  me  had  I  not  officers  not  only  equal  to 
that  occasion,  but  superior  to  any  occasion  my  temerity  is 
likely  to  bring  about.  Gentlemen,  I  give  you  the  health  of 
Bonaparte.  May  he  long  continue  to  build  vessels  for  us 
to  take!" 

"  I  couple  with  the  health  of  Bonaparte  that  of  my  name- 
sake, the  President  of  the  United  States  of  America,"  said 
I,  emptying  my  glass. 

"  Hush!"  said  Shelvocke;  " before  we  toast  him  let  us  be 
sure  that  we  can  thrash  him." 

"  Do  you  think  there  is  any  doubt  of  that,  sir?"  inquired 
Peacock,  in  that  sweet  voice  of  his,  which  I  never  could 
hear  pronouncing  warlike  language  without  smiling. 

"  I  do,  Mr.  Peacock,  indeed.  I  would  not  own  as  much 
just  now  at  a  Mansion  House  dinner,  for  instance,  nor  whis- 
per it  within  a  league  of  St.  James's.     But  so  surely  as  I 


106  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

sit  at  the  head  of  this  table — which,  by  the  way,  and  as  I 
have  all  along  thought,  would  be  the  better  for  another  six 
inches  of  beam,  seeing  that  it  has  to  accommodate  Ches- 
tree's  shanks  for  a  cruise  which  I  hope  may  last  for  months 
— so  surely,  gentlemen,  will  the  Yankee  captains  give  their 
fellow-republicans  an  account  of  King  George's  cruisers  that 
shall  make  some  of  us  hang  our  heads.  Mark  well  what  I 
say,  as  among  my  other  ambitions  I  wish  to  shine  as  a 
prophet.  There  will  be  a  heap  of  horrible  lies  told;  but 
from  the  ashes  of  Yankee  fiction  the  future  American  his- 
torian of  this  unfortunate  war  of  ours  with  beings  who  speak 
our  tongue,  and  who,  at  heart,  are  pretty  nearly  as  proud  of 
us  as  we  are  of  ourselves,  will  rake  us  up  some  gems  of 
truth  to  decorate  thepage  that  remains  to  be  filled." 

"  They  would  make  a  great  man  of  you  were  you  to  go 
among  them,"  said  I. 

"Come,  Madison,  don't  let  prejudice  blind  you,"  he  ex- 
claimed good-naturedly.  "  I  like  the  Yankees  as  little  as 
you.  I  will  admit  that  their  bad  qualities  are  more  numer- 
ous than  our  united  fingers  and  thumbs.  But  give  them 
time,  man.  When  you  were  a  little  fellow,  I'll  warrant 
you  stole  mammy's  sugar,  and  robbed  old  Ox's  orchard, 
and  went  a  bird-nesting.  But  such  matters  are  not  going 
to  earn  the  conviction  of  your  manhood.  Give  the  Yankees 
time,  I  say ;  and  while  you  denounce  what  is  bad  in  them, 
admire  the  genius  of  a  people  who  are  quickly  rearing  a 
magnificent  empire  t'other  side  of  the  water,  and  who  have 
in  a  superlative  degree  the  admirable  virtues  of  perse- 
verance, courage,  patience,  and — yes,  and  —  patriotism, 
whether  you  call  them  rebels  or  not." 

"Do  you  know,  sir,  I  think  we  are  going  to  have  dirty 
weather,"  said  the  prosaic-minded  Chestree,  shoving  in  his 
oar  without  the  least  intention  of  being  rude;  the  poor  fel- 
low had  been  staring  up  the  skylight  while  the  skipper  was 
sporting  his  periods,  until  he  was  so  engrossed  with  the  look 
of  the  sky  as  to  sing  out  without  reflection. 

"  Thanks,  Chestree,  for  saving  me  the  trouble  of  perorat- 
ing," replied  Shelvocke,  laughing:  and  rising,  he  led  the 
way  out  of  the  cabin. 

Thre  was  some  shrewdness  in  Chestree's  perception,  for 
though  the  sky  was  blue  enough  to  have  made  a  landsman 


CAPE  ANTIFER.  107 

in  love  with  it,  with  a  bank  of  rich  white  clouds  down  in 
the  east,  and  a  few  lines  of  vapor  overhead,  in  the  pearly 
margins  of  which  the  sun  had  painted  a  dozen  languid  tints 
like  the  colors  of  a  fading  rainbow,  there  was  a  haziness 
about  the  azure,  a  blearedness  resembling  the  film  on  a  sick 
man's  eyes,  that  betokened  a  change  of  weather.  The 
breeze  was  steady,  well  on  the  starboard  quarter  as  we 
Veaded  west-by -south,  with  nothing  but  the  gleaming  heav- 
ng  sea  around  us. 

I  asked  Shelvocke  if  he  had  any  special  cruising-ground 
in  his  mind. 

"None  whatever,"  said  he.  "As  we  go  we  shall  raise 
Cape  Levi  by  holding  on,  and  we  may  find  something  to 
serve  us  creeping  out  of  Cherbourg.  We  can  only  grope 
and  hope — that's  the  privateer's  article  of  faith.  I  asked 
everybody  I  met  both  in  Portsmouth  and  in  London  for 
news  of  a  convoy,  but  could  get  no  information." 

"  I  think  you  were  right  when  you  said  that  the  West 
Indies  are  our  true  latitudes.  There  are  too  many  brooms 
sweeping  this  Channel  to  leave  any  good  findings,  unless, 
indeed,  we  confine  our  hopes  to  the  enemy's  Government 
ships." 

"That's  just  it,"  he  exclaimed:  "whereas  in  the  western 
Atlantic  we  are  not  only  pretty  sure  of  Frenchmen,  but  of 
Yankees  also.  However,  we  may  get  an  oyster  or  two  off 
the  coast  of  France,  by  jogging  along  it,  and  should  Ushant 
come  abeam  without  anything  turning  up,  we'll  head  into 
the  big  waters,  Mr.  Madison." 

"  What  think  you  of  the  weather,  captain?" 

"Why,  I  think  we  shall  have  a  black  night:  but  there's 
no  appearance  of  wind." 

"  We  have  tested  the  Tigress  in  calms  and  fresh  breezes," 
said  I;  "  and  I  want  to  see  her  in  a  gale  of  wind." 

"Time  enough!  time  enough!"  said  he,  pulling  out  a 
cigar  and  walking  aft,  where  he  stood  near  the  binnacle 
watching  the  vessel,  and  throwing  keen  looks  around  the 
sea. 

As  the  afternoon  wore  away  the  blue  of  the  sky  grew 
thicker,  and  though  every  cloud  had  vanished,  yet  an  in- 
definable smoky  sort  of  veil,  through  which  the  blue  was 
apparent,  but  pale  and  sickly,  appeared  to  be  drawing  up 


108         AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

all  around  the  horizon,  while  the  sun  in  the  west  shone  with 
intense  heat,  though  with  a  dull,  reddish,  subdued  light; 
and  the  orb  itself,  that  was  not  so  brilliant  but  that  the  eye 
could  rest  upon  it  for  some  moments,  had  a  remarkably  clean 
and  well-defined  edge,  like  that  of  the  rising  moon  on  a  hot 
August  night. 

It  was  melancholy  to  look  around  upon  the  sea,  and  mark 
the  desolation  of  waters  which  in  time  of  peace  swarmed 
with  vessels  trading  to  all  parts  of  the  world.  In  spite  of 
Howe  (begging  Shelvocke's  pardon)  and  St.  Vincent  and 
Nelson,  and  a  multitude  of  magnificent  feats  of  valor  per- 
formed by  single  ships,  the  Danes  in  the  North  Sea,  and 
the  French  in  the  Channel  and  away  south  past  the  Medi- 
terranean, were  disputing  every  foot  of  the  sea  with  us,  and 
our  naval  supremacy  was  being  recovered  not  only  at  a  pro- 
digious cost  of  human  lives,  but  by  the  loss  of  millions  to 
British  merchants.  Few  trading  vessels  durst  venture  on 
a  voyage  alone,  and  for  days  and  days  the  only  sort  of  craft 
to  be  met  in  the  Channel  were  the  Government  ships  of  Eng- 
land and  France,  and  privately  armed  vessels  like  our 
schooner,  with  here  and  there  a  few  fishing-boats  or  a 
coasting  sloop  creeping  cautiously  along,  close  in-shore.  It 
was  perhaps  the  dull  and  loaded  look  of  the  sky,  and  the 
oppressive  redness  of  the  sunlight  and  the  muddy  green  of 
the  sea,  that  lent,  to  my  imagination,  a  peculiarly  mournful 
impressiveness  to  the  blank  waters  around  me.  They  gave 
me  a  notion  of  the  horrors  of  war,  more  startling  and  affect- 
ing than  is  got  from  the  butcheries  of  a  battle-field  or  the 
carnage  on  a  ship's  decks.  It  was  like  viewing  the  once 
populous  and  brightly  colored  thoroughfare  of  a  town  that 
has  been  laid  waste  by  a  siege,  with  the  roofless  and  ruined 
houses  yawning  in  grim  silence,  and  no  sound  of  life  but  now 
and  again  the  clank  of  a  musket  grounded  on  an  echoing 
pavement. 

I  went  below  at  four  bells  in  the  first  dog  watch  to  lie 
down;  and  on  coming  on  deck  again  at  eight  o'clock,  I  found 
the  sun  setting  and  the  wind  gone  round  to  the  east.  1 
never  beheld  a  scene  of  gloomier  grandeur  in  British  lati- 
tudes. The  whole  of  the  western  sea-line  was  buttressed 
by  masses  upon  masses  of  ponderous  clouds,  resembling  gi- 
gantic fortifications,  with  the  forms  of  castles,  and  moles, 


CAPE  ANTIFER.  109 

and  towers,  and  walls,  sufficiently  well-defined  to  make  the 
illusion  extraordinary.  They  rested  upon  a  sea  of  cochineal 
that  emitted  no  radiance,  but  stood  like  a  surface  of  blood 
under  the  sun,  whose  flashing  was  dulled  by  the  indefinable 
pall  of  murky  haze  that  overhung  the  whole  of  the  heav- 
ens; but  the  upper  extremities  of  the  clouds,  being  near 
the  sun,  glowed  like  red-hot  iron,  while  streaks  of  purple 
and  orange  shot  the  surface  of  the  vaporous  masses  whose 
centres  were  round,  and  of  a  darkish  cream-color,  like  the 
distended  sails  of  a  ship  in  moonlight. 

Meanwhile  out  of  the  east,  wherein  lay  the  delicate  pink 
reflection  of  the  sunset,  a  fresh  wind  was  whistling  and 
striking  one's  lips  with  a  salt  and  tart  flavor,  from  the 
whipping  of  the  foaming  surface  of  the  water.  The 
schooner  was  tearing  through  it  at  a  great  rate,  though 
under  her  mainsail  and  jib  only,  with  the  muzzles  of  her 
starboard  tier  of  guns  almost  level  with  the  flashing  froth 
that  whirled  away  alongside,  and  with  the  spray  smoking 
over  her  forecastle  and  cooling  her  decks  as  far  aft  as  the 
gangway.  Had  this  wind  been  blowing  out  of  the  bank  of 
clouds  in  the  west  I  should  have  calculated  on  its  freshen- 
ing into  a  gale;  as  it  was,  the  most  inexpert  reader  of 
weather-signs  might  have  guessed  it  would  drop  soon,  or 
rattle  round  to  the  west. 

Hardly  had  the  sun  vanished,  and  while  its  rays  were 
forking,  like  a  glory  round  the  head  of  a  saint,  out  of  the 
clouds,  gilding  our  topmasts  with  fiery  lines  and  turning  our 
upper  rigging  into  gold  wire,  while  all  below  was  in  even- 
ing gloom,  when  a  lookout  man  who  was  stationed  aloft 
reported  a  sail  on  the  weather  bow.  We  sprang  for  our 
glasses,  but  nothing  was  to  be  seen  from  the  deck.  I  ran 
forward  and  trotted  aloft  to  have  a  view  of  the  stranger  be- 
fore the  shadows  deepened,  and  from  the  foretopsail  yard 
could  just  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  spars  and  canvas  of  a  brig, 
hove  to  with  her  head  to  the  eastward  and  her  foretopsail 
to  the  mast.  Believing  that  she  would  not  be  alone,  I 
shinned  on  to  the  royal  yard,  and  from  this  immense  eleva- 
tion searched  the  sea,  but  the  brig  was  all  that  I  could  dis- 
cover. Before  I  reached  the  deck  the  sea  lay  darkling, 
and  of  the  gorgeous  sunset  nothing  survived  but  a  dull  red- 
dish flush  lingering  over  the  brow  of  the  clouds. 


110  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

Shelvocke  asked  me  how  far  I  reckoned  the  brig  to  be 
off,  and  I  answered  about  thirteen  miles.  He  walked  hur- 
riedly to  the  compass  and  then  looked  over  the  side,  and 
presently  ordered  the  foresail  and  main-topmast  staysail 
to  be  set.  These  were  large  sails,  and  under  them  one 
could  feel  the  Tigress  tearing  up  the  water,  and  the  parted 
seas  as  they  raced  along  her  sides  hummed  like  the  con- 
tinuous roll  on  a  drum. 

Darkness  in  these  parallels,  however,  never  closely  fol- 
lows sunset,  even  with  a  cloudy  sky;  for  some  time  after 
the  hectic  tinge  had  faded  out  of  the  west  there  remained 
a  sort  of  sallow  gray  light  in  the  air,  that  enabled  the  eye 
to  determine  the  boundary -line  of  the  deep;  and  before 
complete  darkness  settled  down  we  had  risen  the  brig  so  as 
to  render  her  visible  from  the  deck,  though  even  with  the 
glass  we  could  form  no  just  notion  of  her  size  and  char- 
acter, the  only  certain  thing  about  her  being  that  she  still 
lay  hove  to,  as  though  she  waited  for  a  boat,  or  expected 
some  craft  to  heave  in  sight. 

When  the  night  at  last  really  closed  round,  it  was  as  dark 
as  a  pocket,  to  use  Jack's  phrase.  And,  as  most  of  us  had 
expected,  the  wind  failed  us,  not  suddenly,  but  with  a  sober 
fining  down,  graduating  into  softness  as  though  through  the 
operation  of  some  mechanical  contrivance,  until  from  a  fresh 
strong  breeze  nothing  but  a  languid  current  of  air  was  per- 
ceptible; and  even  this  presently  ceased,  and  then  we  la}' 
in  a  breathless  calm,  the  schooner  rolling  quietly  to  the 
little  swell  which  the  wind  had  left  behind,  and  her  sails 
rattling  against  the  rigging  in  sounds  so  like  musket  reports 
as  to  frequently  cause  me  to  start  and  look  around,  with  the 
darkness  so  dense  that  from  the  skylight  the  figure  of  the 
man  at  the  tiller  was  invisible,  and  a  ponderously  black  sky 
overhead  that  seemed  to  touch  our  mastheads.  Here  and 
there  a  gleam  of  light  raised  a  luminous  mist  along  the  ob- 
scured decks,  from  the  main-hatch,  from  the  galley,  and 
from  the  skylight  over  the  cabin ;  and  as  the  figures  of  the 
men  passed  through  these  illuminated  spaces  it  was  strange  to 
witness  the  apparition  of  their  rugged  forms  with  their  eyes 
glittering  and  their  breasts  exposed,  and  their  muscular  arms 
hanging  bare :  and  then  to  completely  lose  sight  of  them  as 
they  stepped  away  from  the  sphere  of  light  into  the  darkness. 


CAPE  ANTIFER.  Ill 

Shelvocke  called  my  name,  and  I  went  up  to  him,  guided 
by  the  glowiug  tip  of  his  cigar. 

"I  don't  ask  if  you  can  see  any  sign  of  the  brig,"  said 
he,  speaking  in  a  low  tone,  for  the  influence  of  this  oppres- 
sive darkness  insensibly  subdued  one's  voice  into  a  whisper; 
"  but  how  far  do  you  reckon  she  was  distant  when  the  wind 
dropped?" 

"  I  have  been  calculating,  sir,  and  I  should  say  the 
schooner  is  within  a  mile  of  her." 

"That  should  be  about  it— our  reckoning  tallies.  Pass 
the  word  forward  to  hide  all  lights,  and  get  a  tarpaulin 
stretched  over  this  skylight." 

These  orders  were  obeyed,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  ves- 
sel was  wrapped  in  blackness.     I  returned  to  Shelvocke. 

"It's  enough  to  stifle  a  man,"  said  he.  "I  never  re- 
membered a  darker  night.  I'm  waiting  for  a  flash  of  light- 
ning to  give  us  some  rain  and  relieve  this  over-stuffed  sky." 

"  I  have  stationed  a  couple  of  men  forward  and  two  at  the 
gangways,  with  sharp  instructions  to  keep  their  ears  open. 
The  brig  may  prove  a  friend,  sir,  but  I  am  always  suspi- 
cious of  short  yards  and  great  hoist  of  topsail,"  said  I. 

He  seemed  to  pay  no  attention  to  this,  but  after  puffing 
strongly  at  his  cigar  he  sung  out  to  Tapping. 

"Yes,  sir,"  responded  the  third  mate,  who  stood  some- 
where forward  of  the  mainmast. 

"  Call  some  hands  aft  to  get  this  mainsail  in.  Let  go  the 
staysail  halliards,  and  get  both  jibs  stowed.  Let  the  men 
keep  silence." 

"Ay,  ay,  sir." 

"This  is  the  business  of  the  fog  over  again,"  said  I. 

"Why,  yes,  in  one  sense;  only  there  is  no  sulphur  in 
fogs,  Mr.  Madison;  and  when  I  think  of  lightning,  I  think 
of  my  powder  magazine,"  he  replied. 

The  men  came  along  the  deck  as  softly  as  cats,  although 
they  had  to  grope  their  way.  Presently  the  canvas  was 
taken  in,  and  this  quieted  the  schooner,  though  the  foresail 
gave  a  short  slap  sometimes  when  the  vessel  rolled  and  the 
shrouds  complained.  Shelvocke  stood  sucking  at  his  cigar 
in  silence,  and  I  was  leaving  him  to  go  forward,  when  he 
said : 

"  Get  the  nettings  triced  up,  and  pass  the  word  along  for 


112  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

the  watch  below  to  keep  wide  awake  ready  for  a  call  to  quar- 
ters ;  also,  clap  a  round  of  grape  over  the  round-shot  in  the 
chasers,  and  send  the  carpenter  aft." 

These  orders  were  promptly  executed,  and  when  I  joined 
Shelvocke  again  he  was  talking  to  the  carpenter. 

"  It  can  easily  be  managed, "  he  was  saying,  evidently  com- 
bating some  difficulty  Mr.  Chips  had  interposed,  "by  lash- 
ing, or  nailing— but  they  had  better  be  lashed,  as  I  want  no 
hammering— some  half-inch  stuff  at  each  side  of  the  cask, 
and  that  will  keep  the  bunghole  uppermost.  See  that  your 
light  is  securely  fitted,  and  get  a  jewel  block  made  fast  to 
the  extreme  end  of  the  main-boom,  and  another  to  the  end 
of  the  flying  jibboom,  with  lines  ready  rove,  so  that  when 
the  cask  is  overboard,  it  can  be  hauled  away  to  the  length  of 
those  booms  from  the  vessel's  bow  or  stern.  Do  you 
understand  me?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"  Then  get  about  it  at  once.  There  is  no  harm  in  making 
ready,"  he  continued,  addressing  me.  "Hark!  what  is 
that?" 

"  Rain, "  I  replied,  as  a  drop,  heavy  and  warm  as  a  gout 
of  blood,  splashed  on  my  nose. 

Only  a  few  drops  fell,  and  all  was  silent  gain.  It  was 
oppressively  hot,  and  going  below  to  get  a  sou' west  cap  to 
protect  me  against  the  rain  that  I  expected  every  moment 
to  open  upon  us,  I  found  the  cabin  suffocatingly  close,  and 
came  on  deck  again  bathed  in  perspiration. 

I  went  aft  to  look  at  the  compass,  the  candle  in  which 
gave  the  only  spot  of  light  to  the  black  air  throughout  the 
ship,  and  found  that  the  schooner  had  drifted  with  her  head 
to  the  northward,  so  as  to  bring  that  part  of  the  sea  where 
the  brig  was  lying  when  we  last  saw  her,  almost  directly 
astern  of  us.  I  put  my  head  over  the  taffrail  and  listened 
and  strained  my  eyes  against  the  gloom;  but  nothing  dis- 
turbed the  breathless  silence  save  the  gurgle  of  the  eddying 
water  about  the  rudder,  and  the  faint  flapping  of  canvas 
forward. 

I  held  my  watch  to  the  binnacle  and  noticed  that  it  was 
past  ten.  Shelvocke' s  position  was  beaconed  by  his  cigar, 
otherwise  I  had  not  known  whether  he  was  on  deck  or 
below. 


CAPE   ANTIFER.  113 

"Is  that  you,  Madison?"  said  he,  as  I  approached  him. 

"Yes,  sir." 

"Anybody  wanting  to  know  what  highly  wrought  sus- 
pense or  expectation  is,"  said  he,  "should  be  with  us  here. 
It  is  not  over-cheerful  to  be  becalmed  on  a  pitch-black  night 
within  hail  of  a  vessel  whose  character  you  do  not  know, 
and  whose  boats  may  be  under  your  channels  while  you  are 
wondering  whether  she  has  seen  you.  To  complete  a  situ- 
ation of  that  kind,  you  only  want  a  sooty  sky,  choke  full  of 
electricity,  resting  its  ponderous  burden  of  thunderbolts 
upon  your  mastheads,  and  likely  at  any  moment  to  burst 
asunder  and  let  fall  an  ocean  of  flame  upon  you." 

"I  expect  we  shall  have  it  when  it  does  come,"  I  an- 
swered, wiping  from  my  face  the  perspiration  that  gathered 
again  the  moment  I  removed  my  handkerchief.  "It's  a 
leetle  too  warm,  I  take  it,  sir,  for  people  whose  lungs  are 
not  diseased.  Look  yonder!  there's  the  first  composant  I 
have  seen  this  cruise." 

A  ball  of  very  delicate  blue  fire,  that  sometimes  looked 
green,  was  poised  in  the  air  as  high  as  the  topsail  yardarm, 
upon  the  point  of  which  it  no  doubt  hovered ;  though,  as  the 
spars  were  invisible,  the  luminous  thing  seemed  to  be  afloat 
in  the  void,  and  hanging  like  a  star.  It  produced  a  curious 
effect,  for  with  a  very  small  effort  of  imagination  the  eye 
was  easily  cheated  into  believing  it  a  prodigious  distance 
off,  and  that  the  heavens,  having  extinguished  the  familiar 
luminaries,  had  given  birth  to  a  new  species  of  orb.  It 
emitted  a  greenish  mist  for  the  space  of  a  yard  around  it, 
and  its  reflection  in  the  water  was  like  an  illuminated  jelly- 
fish shining  a  long  way  down.  It  shifted  its  position  pres- 
ently, and  went  as  high  as  the  skysail  yardarm,  then  van- 
ished ;  but  in  a  few  minutes  it  reappeared  on  the  forestay, 
where  it  shone  like  a  gigantic  glow-worm,  and  faintly  lighted 
up  the  figures  of  some  men  who  stood  in  a  group  near  the 
starboard  cathead  looking  at  it.  It  then  floated  out  to  the 
end  of  the  flying  jibboom,  and  after  swinging  to  and  fro 
like  a  bubble  on  a  pipe-stem,  it  disappeared. 

Scarcely  had  it  vanished,  when  a  whole  galaxy  of  similar 

lights  was  kindled  all  over  the  schooner's  spars  and  rigging, 

and  the  water  around  swarmed  with  their  reflection.     One 

of  them  hovered  over  the  breech  of  the  gun  near  which  Shel- 

8 


114  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

vocke  and  I  were  standing,  and  we  could  see  each  other'? 
face,  looking  as  green  as  a  spring  leaf,  distinctly.  They 
went  out  one  by  one,  apparently  being  extinguished  the 
moment  they  were  disconnected  from  the  iron  and  woodwork 
of  the  vessel,  and  all  was  black  as  pitch  again. 

Suddenly  a  voice  forward  called  out  a  question  sharply 
and  hurriedly.  Some  one  midway  between  us  and  the 
speaker  cried,  "Hush!  listen,  can't  you?"  Immediately 
after,  Tapping  pronounced  my  name. 

"Hillo!"  I  answered,  looking  in  the  direction  whence  his 
voice  proceeded. 

"  Will  you  please  step  aft,  sir?  I  fancied  I  heard  the 
dip  of  oars  just  now." 

Shel vocke  and  I  went  to  the  taffrail,  where  we  found  Tap- 
ping. We  all  three  listened,  and  in  a  few  seconds  heard  the 
dripping  sound  made  by  muffled  oars  when  lifted  out  of  the 
water. 

"I  expected  this;  though,  if  they  be  Frenchmen,  it's  un- 
like them!  exclaimed  Shelvocke,  softly.  "Mr.  Tapping, 
go  and  send  Mr.  Corney  and  the  carpenter  aft.  Bear  a 
hand,  men,"  addressing  the  fellows  who  stood  grouped 
around  the  stern-chaser,  "  be  careful  not  to  fire  until  the 
order  is  given,  and  then  take  sure  aim.  Point  your  gun 
deliberately.  You  will  have  no  excuse  to  miss  the  mark,  for 
you  shall  have  a  light  to  guide  you." 

Corney  and  the  carpenter  came  aft  together.  During 
Tapping's  absence  the  sound  of  approaching  oars  was  quite 
audible,  though  they  were  evidently  worked  with  extreme 
caution,  and  the  boats  moved  slowly. 

"Carpenter,"  said  Shelvocke,  speaking  hurriedly,  "the 
barrel  must  be  dropped  astern,  for  the  boats  are  yonder. 
Make  ready  to  sling  it  overboard,  and  be  cautious  not  to 
dowse  the  light  in  hauling  on  the  line.  Is  that  you, 
Corney?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  There  are  one  or  more  boats  astern.  Be  good  enough 
to  hail  them  in  French  and  represent  us  as  Frenchmen." 

"Ho,  the  boat  ahoy!"  shouted  Corney,  with  a  real  Galli- 
can  shriek. 

No  answer,  and  the  sound  of  the  dipping  oars  ceased. 

"If  you  don't  answer  we  will  tire  into  you!"  rapped  out 


CAPE  ANTIFER.  115 

Corney,  rattling  his  r's  with  a  throaty  richness  that  would 
have  baffled  old  Villeneuve  himself. 

"  What  vessel  is  that?"  sung  out  a  gruff  voice  in  French, 
apparently  not  more  than  a  cable's  length  astern. 

"  The  Jean  d'Acre,  Volberg,  capitaine  du  vaisseau,  bound 
to  Cherbourg,  from  the  East, "  answered  Corney  promptly. 

On  this  there  was  a  hail  as  from  one  boat  to  another,  and 
the  buzz  of  a  dozen  voices  all  speaking  together. 

"That  shindy  convicts  them!"  whispered  Shelvocke  to 
me.  "  Only  Frenchmen  talk  all  at  once  like  that.  Mr. 
Corney,  ask  them  what  they  want." 

But  owing  to  their  jabbering  like  a  lot  of  Boulogne  fish- 
wives disputing,  they  probably  did  not  hear  the  question, 
for  no  answer  was  returned.  Their  nationality,  however, 
was  unmistakable. 

"Carpenter,  get  your  blaze  afloat  smartly!"  exclaimed 
Shelvocke.  "  Men,  take  aim  at  the  largest  of  the  boats  you 
can  cover,  or  the  nearest  that  you  can  see." 

While  he  spoke,  the  carpenter  had  fired  a  blue-light,  fixed 
in  the  bung  of  a  small  cask,  to  the  sides  of  which  a  couple 
of  short  pieces  of  plank  had  been  affixed  to  serve  as  out- 
riggers. The  apparatus  was  cautiously  but  quickly  lowered 
over  the  side,  and  towed,  by  means  of  a  line  rove  through 
a  block  at  the  end  of  the  main-boom,  astern,  where  it 
glanced  out  a  broad  circumference  of  ghastly  illumination, 
within  the  further  sphere  of  which  we  saw  three  large  boats, 
which  lay  in  solid  black  shapes  upon  the  blue  sheet  of  water, 
each  boat  full  of  men  armed  to  the  teeth,  their  weapons  in 
the  unearthly  light  appearing  as  if  scored  with  lines  of 
burning  brimstone,  while  beyond  the  ghastly  luminous  cir- 
cle the  sea  stretched  away  into  ebony  blackness.  The  mo- 
tionless boats,  looking  like  centipedes,  with  their  oars  fork- 
ing out  on  either  side ;  the  pale  blue  outlines  of  their  crowded 
crews,  resembling  sketches  done  in  phosphorus;  the  quiver- 
ing reflection  of  the  boats  in  the  fearful,  death-like  hue  of 
the  water;  and  the  pitchy,  oppressive,  imponderable  black- 
ness drooping  its  electric  and  breathless  folds  all  around, 
formed  an  impressive  and  wonderful  scene. 

"  Quick,  men !"  shouted  Shelvocke.  "  Fire  while  the  light 
holds!     Take  the  nearest  boat — she  is  the  biggest!" 

The  Frenchmen  saw  the  trick,  and  with  a  yell  all  three 


116  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

crews  buckled  to  their  starboard  oars,  which  they  were  in 
the  act  of  raising  to  pull  their  boats'  heads  round,  when 
Shelvocke  gave  the  order  to  fire.  The  flash  of  the  gun  paled 
the  blue  light  as  a  sunbeam  a  candle,  and  the  roar  of  the 
explosion  was  immediately  followed  by  a  crash  and  a  per- 
fect hurricane  of  shrieks,  proving  fearfully  how  our  shot  had 
told.  At  the  same  moment,  and  as  if  in  rebuke  of  our  pre- 
sumption in  mimicking  the  tremendous  artillery  of  the  skies, 
the  blackness  overhead  was  rent  asunder  by  an  astounding 
flash  of  sunbright  lightning  that  revealed  the  whole  surface 
of  the  sea,  down  to  the  nethermost  circle  of  it,  in  the  midst 
of  which,  and  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  distant,  lay  a 
large  brig,  while  two  boats  only  were  making  for  her,  under 
furiously  brandished  oars. 

The  lightning  was  followed  by  a  crash  of  thunder  directly 
overhead.  The  concussion  shook  the  schooner  as  though  she 
had  thumped  upon  a  rock.  The  ear-splitting  bellow  was  so 
confounding  that,  by  the  next  glare  of  lightning,  which  fol- 
lowed the  thunder  after  an  interval  of  only  a  few  seconds, 
I  beheld  the  men  standing  motionless,  like  petrified  figures. 
And  then  down  came  the  rain,  in  a  whole  sheet,  mingled 
with  hail  that  boomed  upon  the  hollow  deck  like  a  gale  of 
wind  through  a  line-of-battle  ship's  rigging.  In  an  instant 
we  were  awash,  and  the  water  pouring  in  cascades  out  of 
the  scupper-holes,  and  the  sea  around  us  flashing  up  in 
froth  under  the  heavy  discharge,  while  the  lightning  played 
in  tongues  and  lances  from  the  clouds,  whose  huge  masses, 
lying  in  layer  upon  layer,  were  revealed  by  every  flash,  and 
the  thunder  roared  continuously. 

The  storm  had  indeed  burst  with  a  vengeance.  It  was 
right  overhead,  and  fiercer  lightning  and  louder  thunder  I 
never  saw  nor  heard  out  of  tropical  latitudes.  It  was  evi- 
dent that  the  Frenchmen  had  not  stopped  to  succor  their 
shipmates  whose  boat  had  been  knocked  to  pieces  by  our 
shot,  nor  would  it  have  been  reasonable  for  us  to  send  help, 
as,  the  play  of  the  lightning  being  incessant,  our  boat 
would  have  been  exposed  to  the  guns  of  the  brig,  whose 
people,  we  might  be  sure,  would  not  recognize  in  our  hu- 
manity any  claim  upon  their  forbearance.  Ail  that  could 
be  done,  therefore,  was  to  direct  a  lookout  to  be  kept 
around  the  schooner  for  swimmers. 


CAPE  ANTIFER.  117 

The  rain  and  hail  fell  perpendicularly  with  such  weight 
that  it  was  difficult  to  stand  upright  under  the  discharge; 
it  poured  down  my  back  so  as  to  completely  fill  out  my 
shirt  with  water  down  to  the  waist-band,  and  I  felt  as 
though  buttoned  up  in  one  of  those  skins  which  the  Arabs 
carry  water  in,  in  their  journeys  along  the  African  coast. 
Moreover,  not  only  was  the  continuous  cannonading  of  the 
thunder  in  the  last  degree  bewildering,  but  the  sight  was 
rendered  temporarily  useless  by  the  quick  alternations  be- 
tween the  dazzling  blue  flashes  and  the  stone-blind  dark- 
ness. However,  I  made  shift  to  watch  the  brig,  and  pres- 
ently noticed  the  boats  reach  her.  On  a  sudden,  the  hoarse 
and  rushing  sound  of  the  rain  ceased,  and  though  the  light- 
ning continued  to  flash  with  extraordinary  fierceness,  it 
was  evident,  from  the  increasing  intervals  between  the 
flash  and  the  thunder-shock,  that  the  worst  of  the  storm 
was  settling  away  to  the  north. 

All  at  once  a  voice  hailed  the  schooner  alongside :  a  lan- 
tern was  slung  over,  and  a  man  in  the  last  stage  of  ex- 
haustion was  seen  clinging  to  one  of  the  main  chain-plates. 
A  bowline  was  lowered,  into  which  he  dropped  his  arms 
and  was  hoisted  over  the  bulwarks.  He  proved  to  be  a 
French  soldier,  probably  of  the  infanterie  legere,  dressed 
in  a  single-breasted  coat,  the  collar  of  which  was  a  bright 
scarlet,  and  coarse  worsted  epaulets  and  blue  trousers. 
How  he  had  managed  to  swim  the  distance  from  where  the 
boat  had  sunk  to  the  schooner,  seeing  that  he  had  a  mus- 
ket slung  over  his  shoulder  and  a  great  pistol  stuck  in  the 
belt  round  the  waist,  was  an  utter  mystery  to  me.  On 
gaining  the  deck  he  fell  down  in  a  heap,  and  was  imme- 
diately carried  below,  where,  in  about  ten  minutes,  he  was 
sufficiently  recovered  to  answer  Corney's  questions,  who 
ascertained  that  the  brig  was  the  national  vessel  La 
Patrie,  pierced  for  fourteen  guns,  and  mounting  six  long 
nine-pounders  and  one  twenty-four-pound  brass  pivot.  She 
had  left  Brest  four  days  before  as  consort  to  a  frigate  that 
had  signalled  to  her  to  heave  to  while  she  chased  a  suspi- 
^cious-looking  sail  that  was  seen  early  in  the  morning  stand- 
ing to  the  westward.  The  brig's  people,  on  sighting  us 
before  dusk,  had  taken  us  for  an  English  trader  which  a 
lugger  they  had  fallen  in  with  on  the  previous  night  had 


118  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE, 

reported  was  to  pass  down  the  Channel,  bound  for  Lisbon, 
with  a  valuable  freight;  and  her  boats  had  therefore  been 
ordered  out  to  attack  us.  The  La  Patrie  had  a  draft  of 
eighty  troops  of  the  line  aboard,  besides  a  crew  of  one 
hundred  and  thirty  seamen,  making  in  all  two  hundred 
and  ten  souls,  some  of  whom  were  priests.  Of  her  people 
sixty  were  in  the  boats,  half  of  whom  were  soldiers. 

This  information  was  hurriedly  communicated  to  Shel- 
vocke. 

"Sixty  in  the  boats,"  said  he  musingly,  looking  at  the 
vessel  which  the  lightning  continued  to  exhibit  with  per- 
fect clearness :  "  divide  sixty  by  three,  leaves  twenty  who 
have  been  knocked  out  of  time,  and  gives  the  brig  one 
hundred  and  ninety  men.  If  I  flew  a  pennant  I  would  risk 
it  for  the  sake  of  promotion;  but  I  must  not  needlessly  ex- 
pose my  men,  for  if  the  brig  should  serve  one  of  our  boats 
as  we  served " 

He  was  silenced  by  a  bright  glare  aboard  the  French- 
man, and  a  ball  flashed  up  the  water  just  astern  of  us. 
The  lightning  was  playing  in  the  north,  but  the  thunder 
rolled  with  a  subdued  note,  and  the  rain  had  entirely 
ceased.  There  was  promise  of  improving  weather  in  the 
west,  but  the  gloom  was  still  intense.  The  schooner  had 
swung  so  as  to  present  her  starboard  quarter  to  the  brig, 
but  the  lightning  revealed  the  enemy  lying  with  her  stern 
directly  at  us;  and  it  was  evident  from  the  character  of  the 
shot  and  the  sound  of  the  explosion,  that  she  had  trained 
a  long  nine-pounder  through  her  after-port. 

Hardly  had  the  report  of  the  brig's  gun  faded  upon  the 
ear  when  a  sharply  uttered  order  from  Shelvocke  tilled  the 
deck  of  the  schooner  with  the  glare  of  battle-lanterns.  The 
crew  stood  at  quarters  waiting  for  the  word  of  command, 
but  I  saw  by  Shelvocke  taking  up  his  position  at  the  bin- 
nacle that  he  waited  for  the  Tigress  to  swing  her  broadside  to 
the  Frenchman,  who  meantime  kept  blazing  away  at  us  with 
his  one  gun  as  fast  as  he  could  load ;  he  had  elevated  the 
piece,  and  the  balls  whistled  through  our  rigging  and  struck 
the  water  a  long  distance  ahead  of  us.  It  was  impossible  to„ 
see  what  mischief  they  did;  sometimes  a  rope's  end  would 
fall  on  the  deck,  sometimes  a  block,  once  there  was  a  small 
crash  of  splintered  wood  aloft,  but  nothing  heavy  fell, 


CAPE  ANTIFER.  119 

"Have  you  her  bearings,  men?"  rang  out  Shelvocke's 
voice. 

"Ay,  ay,  sir!" 

"  Wait  for  the  next  flash  to  point — aim  low,  as  I  always 
tell  you.   .   .   .  Now  you  have  her — fire!" 

Heaven  preserve  us !  if  ever  a  vessel  was  raked  that  brig 
was.  She  was  within  point-blank  range  of  the  carronades, 
and  the  aim  of  the  men  was  exact.  But  by  this  time  she 
too  had  canted  sufficiently  to  enable  her  to  bring  her  broad- 
side guns  to  bear,  and  I  believe  she  had  traversed  the  guns 
from  the  idle  side  to  the  empty  ports  opposed  to  us,  with  a 
view  to  frightening  us  by  an  exhibition  of  metal,  for  she 
flashed  into  a  whole  sheet  of  flame,  and  we  could  hear  por- 
tions of  the  iron  hail  tearing  up  the  sea  fathoms  away  from 
us,  though  some  of  the  shots  hulled  us,  as  any  man  could 
have  told  by  the  quivering  of  the  schooner. 

She  exchanged  four  broadsides  with  us,  but  our  fifth  was 
not  answered.  The  lightning  had  ceased,  and  there  was  a 
pallid  gray  dawning  upon  the  western  sky.  We  could  not 
see  the  brig,  but  the  compass-bearings  told  us  that  the 
Tigress  had  swung  bow  on  to  her ;  on  ascertaining  which  I 
sprang  into  the  waist  and  ordered  the  forecastle  gun  to  be 
double-shotted  and  fired. 

The  Frenchman  remained  silent. 

I  mounted  the  bulwark  to  see  if  I  could  distinguish  her, 
and  when  I  lifted  my  head  above  the  bulwark  I  felt  a 
draught  of  wind. 

"  I  expect  she  is  leaving  us,  sir.  She  will  have  had  the 
first  of  the  breeze!"  I  shouted. 

"After  her,  then,"  echoed  Shelvocke.  "All  hands  make 
sail!  smartly,  boys!  we'll  give  the  newspaper  men  another 
job!" 

A  dozen  of  the  crew  bounded  over  to  the  main  throat  and 
peak  halliards.  "With  a  will,  bully  boys!"  bawled  one 
of  them,  when — crack !  the  whole  group  lay  sprawling  on 
their  backs,  with  the  halliards  writhing  among  them.  The 
gear  had  been  severed  with  a  shot,  and  the  troublesome 
business  of  reeving  fresh  halliards  had  to  be  performed. 
This  was  not  the  only  wound  our  rigging  had  received.  The 
jib-halliards  were  cut  in  halves,  the  gaff -topsail  sheet  was  on 
deck,  and  a  couple  of  backstays  were  trailing  overboard, 


120  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

However,  all  available  canvas  was  set,  the  helm  put 
down,  and  under  a  freshening  breeze  the  Tigress  stretched 
along  the  course  which  Shelvocke  with  instinctive  accuracy 
guessed  the  brig  to  be  heading.  Trifling  repairs  such  as 
we  needed  are  soon  executed,  even  on  the  blackest  night, 
when  you  have  ninety  men  to  do  the  work;  our  lanterns 
illuminated  the  decks,  and  in  less  than  ten  minutes  we 
were  under  a  press  of  sail  heading  clue  south,  and  in  chase 
of  a  bright  light  that  was  leading  about  a  mile  and  a  half 
ahead.  This  light  had  sprung  up  suddenly,  and  its  ap- 
pearance was  reported  to  us  by  a  hail  from  one  of  the 
lookout  men. 

" Those  Frenchmen  callus  barbarous!"  exclaimed  Shel- 
vocke laughing,  after  answering  the  hail,  "  and  found  their 
notions  of  us  on  the  belief  that  we  don't  read  any  nation's 
history  but  our  own.  They  may  be  right;  but  they  forget 
that  there  is  enough  of  the  history  of  the  world  in  the  his- 
tory of  England  to  make  any  student  of  our  story  learned 
enough  for  all  practical  purposes.  There's  a  preface  for  a 
simple  observation,  Madison !  Do  you  see  that  light?  Now 
what  imbeciles  they  must  be  to  hope  to  trick  us  by  such  an 
old  stratagem!" 

"  Why,  yes,  sir;  anybody  may  see  through  that  trick." 

"Forward  there!"  lie  shouted.  "Fire  the  bow-gun  at 
that  light.     Elevate  your  piece,  or  you'll  bury  the  shot." 

The  report  followed  within  a  few  seconds  of  the  com- 
mand.    The  chase  kept  silence. 

"I  have  a  noble  crew,  a  splendid  set  of  men,  Madison!" 
exclaimed  Shelvocke,  in  a  voice  rich  with  enthusiasm.  "I 
would  to  heaven  you  and  I  wore  epaulets,  and  that  my 
men  took  King's  pay.  We'd  make  a  name  with  such  a 
body  of  seamen  under  our  command." 

But  recollecting  the  disaffection  that  was  at  that  time 
notorious  among  the  crews  of  many  of  His  Majesty's  ships, 
and  the  difficulty  that  attended  the  procural  of  men  to  fill 
out  the  complements  of  vessels  of  war,  I  was  inclined  to 
doubt  whether  King's  pay  would  have  inspired  the  Tigresses 
with  the  zealous  unanimity  that  was  one  of  their  best 
characteristics. 

"Give  them  another  dose!"  he  sung  out.  "Ply  them 
while  that  light  shines." 


CAPE  ANTIFER.  121 

The  gun  was  fired  again  a  moment  after  the  light  dis- 
appeared. 

"The  idiots!"  muttered  Shelvocke.  "Now,  Madison, 
mark  them!" 

The  wind  had  freshened  into  a  strong  breeze.  All  away 
down  in  the  west  the  sky  had  cleared,  and  here  and  there 
a  watery  star  was  tremulously  glowing  among  rifts  in  the 
heavy  clouds  which  solemnly  journeyed  across  the  dark 
heavens.  The  sea  under  the  increasing  wind  was  breaking 
into  spaces  of  foam,  and  the  roaring  noise  at  the  bows  of 
the  schooner,  and  the  gleam  of  the  belt  of  froth  scurrying 
within  the  reach  of  a  man's  arm  along  the  lee  side,  and 
the  hooting  up  aloft,  and  the  fierce  patter  of  spray,  like 
the  discharge  of  small  firearms  upon  the  forecastle,  indi- 
cated the  speed  of  the  Tigress,  and  the  pressure  of  canvas 
that  was  rushing  her. 

A  minute  after  the  light  ahead  had  vanished,  it  reap- 
peared. Shelvocke  sprang  to  the  compass ;  he  took  a  sharp 
look  at  the  card,  and  shouted : 

"  Put  your  helm  up !  Ease  away  your  sheets  fore  and 
aft.     Fore-topsail-yard,  there!" 

The  man  stationed  on  that  yard  answered. 

"  Look  brightly  about  you,  and  report  the  brig  the  mo- 
ment you  see  her." 

"Ay,  ay,  sir!" 

The  men  appeared  astonished  to  find  the  schooner  leav- 
ing the  light,  which  they  did  not  doubt  was  aboard  the 
enemy.  It  was  right  ahead  just  now,  and  now  it  was  al- 
most astern.  I  saw  them  looking  over  the  bulwarks  at  it, 
and  heard  them  talking;  but  Shelvocke  appeared  not  only 
blind,  but  deaf,  too. 

Presently  he  sung  out : 

"  Mr.  Madison,  let  the  watch  be  called.  A  stern  chase 
is  a  long  chase,  and  even  a  Frenchman  knows  a  schooner's 
weakness." 

As  he  spoke,  eight  bells  were  struck,  by  which  I  had 
the  pleasure  to  find  that  it  was  my  turn  to  stay  on  deck  for 
the  next  four  hours.  However,  I  had  had  no  supper,  and 
was  wet  through,  and  so,  desiring  Chestree  to  keep  my 
lookout  for  a  short  spell,  I  went  below,  where,  after  shift- 
ing my  clothes,  I  demolished  nearly  the  whole  of  a  remark- 


122  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

ably  tender  and  well-flavored  piece  of  hung  beef,  which, 
with  a  caulker  of  cold  brandy  grog,  restored  my  good 
humor. 

I  left  Shelvocke,  who  had  come  below  as  wet  and  hungry 
as  myself,  at  the  table,  and  went  on  deck  and  found  the 
weather  clearing  fast,  but  the  wind  increasing,  and  the 
schooner  beginning  to  courtesy  to  the  surges  which  ran 
under  her.  She  was  heading  so  as  to  hit  the  French  coast 
between  Havre  and  Fecamp,  but  on  an  errand  that  had  be- 
come intelligible  enough,  now  that  we  could  see  about  us; 
for  almost  the  first  object  I  beheld  after  leaving  the  cabin 
was  the  shadow  of  the  brig  right  ahead  of  us,  a  large 
square  blot  which  the  telescope  resolved  into  a  whole  cloud 
of  canvas. 

I  put  my  head  into  the  skylight  and  gave  the  news  to 
Shelvocke,  who  presently  arrived.  He  examined  the  chase 
in  silence  for  some  moments — I  should  say  a  whole  minute 
— and  then  exclaimed : 

"  She  is  undoubtedly  within  range  of  the  bow-gun,  Mr. 
Madison,  should  not  you  think?" 

"A  ball  would  have  all  its  work  to  reach  her,  sir." 

"Well,  as  I  look  again,  you  may  be  right.  But  even 
were  she  within  range,  it  is  not  our  policy  to  signalize  any 
friends  of  hers  hovering  in  the  neighborhood,  by  blazing 
away  with  one  gun,  when,  with  a  little  patience,  we  shall 
be  able  to  bring  our  broadside  to  bear." 

"I  agree  with  you,  captain;  here  is  the  Calvados  Gulf 
under  our  bows,  and  there  are  batteries  enough  along  the 
coast  from  Barfleur  to  Antifer  to  inspire  the  French  cruisers 
in  these  waters  with  unusual  pluck." 

"I  say,"  he  remarked,  laughing,  "the  brig's  people  will 
think  us  the  very  devil  when  they  look  astern  and  find  us 
sticking  to  their  skirts.  But  did  they  really  suppose  they 
could  amuse  and  throw  us  off  the  scent  by  dropping  a  lan- 
tern in  a  tub  overboard,  and  squaring  away  to  the  east'ard? 
I  should  like  to  know  how  many  times  that  trick  has  been 
tried  in  the  last  fifty  years,  and  how  often  it  has  succeeded. 
I  knew  she  must  try  for  Dieppe  or  some  more  southerly 
port,  and  I  was  right,  you  see.  Do  you  think  we  gain  on 
her?" 

"  I  do  not,  sir.     If  anything  she  is  leaving  us.     By  the 


CAPE  ANTIFER.  123 

lumping  shadow  she  makes  she  appears  to  have  stunsails 
alow  and  aloft." 

The  enemy  had  manoeuvred  so  as  to  bring  the  breeze  into 
the  quarter  that  gave  the  Tigress  her  poorest  chance  of 
sailing. 

Every  cloth  on  the  schooner  that  would  hold  wind  was 
exposed,  but  it  was  all  of  no  use;  we  could  not  shorten  our 
distance  from  the  chase,  and  though  she  remained  well  in 
sight  over  our  bows,  she  had  edged  a  long  distance  out  of 
gunshot. 

Shelvocke's  obstinate  spirit  was  aroused.  When  he 
perceived  that  he  did  not  gain  on  the  enemy,  he  turned  the 
men  up  to  get  the  studding-sails  upon  the  schooner,  but  in 
the  midst  of  the  work  the  topgallant  studding-sail  boom 
snapped  short  off  at  the  iron,  and  the  sail  blew  away  like  a 
puff  of  smoke.  In  truth,  the  wind  was  fast  freshening 
into  a  moderate  gale  that  had  put  every  vestige  of  the  pon- 
derous thunder-clouds  to  flight,  and  replaced  them  with 
lines  of  light  scud  that  blew  like  sheets  of  muslin  across  the 
stars.  Had  we  been  beating,  there  was  wind  enough  to 
have  reefed  our  sails ;  but  being  astern,  its  force  was  sen- 
sibly diminished  by  the  speed  with  which  the  Tigress  drove 
before  it.  Under  this  increased  pressure  the  schooner  ran 
fiercely,  heaping  the  water  up  in  froth  above  the  hawse- 
holes,  and  raising  a  tall  sea  on  each  quarter;  and  that  the 
brig  maintained  and  even  improved  her  distance  from  us 
proved  her  the  possessor  of  qualities  that  would  not  only 
test  the  capacity  of  the  Tigress  but  harass  the  obstinacy  of 
Shelvocke,  as  well  as  challenge  his  seamanship. 

Suddenly  the  Frenchman  hauled  his  wind  about  four 
points,  keeping  all  his  studding-sails  aloft.  The  inclina- 
tion of  the  shadowy  outline  of  the  vessel  was  at  least  forty 
degrees  under  the  lateral  pressure  of  the  heavy  wind,  and 
her  swinging  boom  soared  up  from  her  side  like  a  bowsprit. 
Finding  that  she  could  beat  us  in  scudding,  she  was  going 
to  try  us  with  her  tacks  aboard,  her  people  evidently  hav- 
ing confidence  in  her  heels,  and  eager  to  reach  their  own 
coast  by  the  shortest  cut. 

The  instant  she  shifted  her  helm  we  altered  ours;  but 
scarcely  had  we  got  the  wind  abeam  when  crack !  the  jib- 
sheet  parted,  and  before  the  down-haul  could  be  manned. 


124  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

the  sail  had  flogged  itself  into  rags.  I  watched  our  spars 
anxiously.  It  was  impossible  to  know  how  the  shot  of  the 
brig  had  told ;  one  crash  of  splintering  wood  had  certainly 
followed  the  discharge  of  a  gun,  and  I  waited  to  know  what 
spar  had  been  wounded  by  seeing  it  go  overboard.  But 
nothing  gave,  though  our  press  of  sail  was  enormous;  in- 
deed I  never  before  in  all  my  life  saw  any  vessel  so  driven 
as  the  Tigress  was  now  :  the  lee  rail  of  the  high  bulwarks 
was  almost  flush  with  the  seething  foam;  standing  on  the 
deck  was  like  being  on  a  steep  hill-side :  she  did  not  rise  to 
the  seas,  but  cut  clean  through  them,  shipping  whole  oceans 
of  water,  which  came  rushing  aft  as  high  as  a  man's  knees 
along  the  lee-scuppers.  She  took  four  men  to  steer  her, 
and  I  saw  the  binnacle-light  shine  in  their  sweating  faces, 
and  watched  them  tearing  off  their  coats  and  loosening  the 
collars  of  their  shirts,  and  baring  the  arms  to  the  shoulder. 
The  booming  and  bellowing  overhead  was  deafening,  and 
powerful  as  was  Shelvocke's  voice  he  had  to  send  Tapping 
for  his  speaking-trumpet  before  he  ventured  to  deliver  an 
order. 

At  this  moment  the  scene  was  one  of  wild  beauty :  the 
schooner  almost  on  her  beam-ends  hurling  through  a  whole 
acre  of  snow-white  foam,  the  dark  and  frothing  waters 
tossing  wildly  to  windward ;  above  us  a  sky  full  of  bright 
stars  and  flying  scud,  and  ahead  the  leaning  shape  of  the 
brig  as  steady  as  the  schooner  under  the  sweeping  gale,  and 
leaving  astern  of  her  a  wide,  white  creaming  wake  whose 
seething  extremity  seemed  to  meet  the  very  stem  of  the 
Tigress. 

But  the  square-rigged  vessel  never  yet  was  built  that 
could  dispute  the  lead  with  Hannay's  privateer  under  these 
conditions.  The  brig  was  every  moment  looming  larger 
and  larger  as  we  gained  upon  her. 

"Make  ready  the  bow-gun!"  shouted  Shelvocke  through 
his  trumpet.  "  Let  her  go  off  a  point" — and  when  this  was 
done — "  fire!" 

The  flame  flashed  out  of  the  head  of  the  schooner,  and  a 
smother  of  smoke  fled  down  upon  the  water;  but  simulta- 
neously with  the  explosion,  the  brig  put  her  helm  up, 
squared  away  her  yards,  and  in  about  ten  minutes'  time 
had  forged  out  of  gunshot  distance  again, 


CAPE  ANTIFER.  125 

This  was  very  irritating,  but,  as  Shelvocke  had  said  on  a 
previous  occasion,  it  could  not  be  helped.  We  held  on 
steadily;  and  shortly  after  the  dawn  had  broken  in  the 
east,  I  went  below  to  look  at  the  chart,  and  found  that  if 
this  strong  wind  held,  we  should  in  all  probability  make 
the  French  coast  a  little  to  the  north  of  Cape  Antifer  by 
seven  o'clock.  I  had  been  up  all  night,  and  was  tired  out, 
and  the  sound  of  ship's  bell  was  never  more  grateful  to  my 
ears  than  the  eight  strokes  which  indicated  four  o'clock, 
and  changed  the  watch.  Before  I  left  the  deck  the  sun 
had  risen,  and  the  sky  all  away  on  the  port-bow  was  a  vast 
sheet  of  frosted,  rosy-tipped  silver,  and  in  the  west  and 
south  a  bright  light  blue,  and  the  sea  a  streaming,  running, 
throbbing,  and  foaming  tract  of  waters,  with  a  strong  wind 
sweeping  noisily  across  it,  and  vacant  as  a  desert  save  in 
the  point  toward  which  the  jibboom  of  the  Tigress  arched, 
where  there  shone  a  white  form  no  bigger  than  a  man's 
hand,  but  which  the  telescope  proved  to  be  the  French  brig, 
that  had  widened  her  distance  to  between  four  and  five 
miles,  and  whose  hull,  under  the  broad  and  tall  space  of 
canvas  she  exhibited,  was  like  a  car  under  a  Lussac  balloon ; 
and  one  could  almost  have  imagined  that  the  whole  thing 
would  soar  into  the  air  and  be  blown  away  into  the  silver 
sky,  so  delicate  and  lily-like  and  aerial  did  the  fabric  look 
upon  the  leagues  of  sea  which  poured  their  boiling  surges 
toward  the  rising  sun. 

I  went  to  my  cabin  and  turned  in  and  fell  asleep,  and 
had  slept  two  hours,  and  was  dreaming  of  being  grasped  by 
the  throat  by  a  huge  French  grenadier,  whose  immense  pis- 
tol (the  cold  muzzle  of  which,  by  the  way,  I  distinctly  felt 
like  the  snout  of  a  dog  against  my  right  temple)  threatened 
a  most  murderous  coup  de  grace,  when  I  was  aroused  by 
young  Peacock  putting  his  hand  on  my  shoulder.  I  opened 
my  eyes. 

"  The  crew  have  been  called  to  quarters,  sir.  We  have 
hove  up  the  French  coast,  and  I  think  Captain  Shelvocke 
means  to  give  us  some  fun,  sir,"  shouted  the  youth,  and 
immediately  ran  on  deck. 

I  was  there  almost  as  soon  as  he,  and  found  the  crew 
tumbling  up  out  of  the  hatchways,  and  some  of  the  watch 
hauling  down  the  studding-sails,  and  others  handing  the 


l£6  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

square  canvas,  while  the  schooner,  with  the  wind  a  point 
before  the  beam,  into  which  quarter  it  had  veered  within 
the  last  five  minutes,  was  racing  along  at  a  speed  that  made 
every  bone  of  her  tremble  as  though  she  must  go  to  pieces 
like  a  pack  of  cards.  Right  ahead  loomed  the  pale  chalk 
cliffs  and  green  summits  of  Cape  Antifer,  with  the  land  on 
either  side  shelving  away  south  and  east  until  only  little 
blobs  of  hazy  film  trembled  upon  the  white  reflective  line 
about  the  dark  waters  of  the  horizon. 

The  brig  lay  broad  in  view  upon  our  lee  bow,  having 
braced  up  to  meet  the  shift  of  wind,  and  her  hull  almost 
buried  in  the  veil  of  foam  she  tore  up.  She  had  evidently 
been  trying  for  Fecamp  and  the  Criquebceuf  batteries,  but 
probably  fearing  that  the  wind  would  haul  further  to  the 
eastward,  was  hoping  to  get  the  land  aboard,  so  as  to  bring 
up  and  fight  us  under  the  shelter  of  a  fort  to  windward  of 
Cape  Antifer. 

"  Ay,  but  fighting,  I  am  afraid,  is  the  last  infirmity  of 
those  noble  minds,"  said  Shelvocke,  to  whom  I  had  put  the 
above  probability,  speaking  with  bitter  contempt,  and  look- 
ing harassed  and  weary,  though  he  had  managed  to  snatch 
an  hour's  sleep  while  I  was  below. 

We  soon  began  to  close  the  chase,  now  that  we  had  the 
wind  abeam,  and  I  had  a  good  look  at  her  through  the  glass. 

She  was  a  handsome  vessel,  probably  fifty  tons  bigger 
than  the  Tigress,  with  a  gayly  decorated  stern,  and  a  broad 
white  streak  along  her  sides,  out  of  which  forked  the  muz- 
zles of  her  gims.  She  had  large  square  tops  painted  black, 
wide  channels,  and  sat  low  on  the  water,  and  was  appar- 
ently a  very  powerful  boat.  Whatever  mischief  we  had 
done  her  aloft  was  repaired,  nor  could  we  suppose,  having 
regard  to  the  tremendous  press  of  canvas  she  carried,  that 
we  had  wounded  her  spars.  If  she  had  suffered  at  all,  it 
was  in  the  hull,  but  to  what  extent,  as  the  sequel  will 
show,  we  were  not  able  to  ascertain. 

Suddenly  she  hoisted  French  colors,  and  fired  a  gun  at 
us,  probably  to  alarm  the  lookouts  on  the  heights,  for  her 
people  must  have  been  perfectly  well  aware  that  we  were 
out  of  range. 

"Answer  that  challenge,  Mr.  Peacock!"  called  out  Cap- 
tain Shelvocke.     "Hoist  the  ensign!" 


CAPE  ANTIFER.  127 

Having  said  which,  he  jumped  on  to  one  of  the  guns, 
and  stood  with  his  arm  round  a  backstay,  watching  the 
chase  with  an  expression  of  extraordinary  eagerness. 

Most  chases  are  mere  lotteries,  for  the  issue  of  a  pursuit 
at  sea  can  seldom  be  calculated  on.  Shelvocke's  hope  in 
following  the  brig  had  evidently  lay  in  a  shift  of  wind,  or 
in  being  able  to  get  within  range,  and  to  cripple  her  so  as 
to  oblige  her  to  make  a  stand  and  fight.  The  natural  ob- 
stinacy of  his  nature,  moreover,  Was  not  a  little  inflamed 
by  the  attempt  that  had  been  made  to  board  us,  and  they 
had  failed  entirely  because  of  the  vigilance  of  the  lookout 
we  had  kept  and  his  sagacious  suspicions  that  something  of 
the  kind  would  be  ventured. 

The  sight  of  the  towering  French  cliff  now  lent  a  new 
significance  to  the  pursuit.  This  was  the  first  time  the 
Tigress  had  been  in  sight  of  the  enemy's  coast,  and  one 
thought  of  the  wrongs  done  to  humanity  by  the  inhabitants 
of  that  soil,  of  their  hatred  of  England,  of  the  scores  of 
one's  fellow-countrymen  languishing  in  its  jails.  Indeed 
no  words  can  express  the  bitter  feelings  excited  by  those 
lofty  heights  of  chalk  clad  with  verdure  that  gleamed  like 
silk  in  the  sun.  The  faces  of  our  seamen  darkened  under 
the  moods  which  the  sight  of  the  French  shore  aroused. 
The  children  of  the  Englishmen  of  this  period  will  never 
be  able  to  gauge  the  hatred  of  the  French  that  fired  the 
hearts  of  their  fathers,  and  made  them  the  most  deadly  and 
disastrous  enemies  the  arms  of  France  ever  encountered. 
I  noticed  some  of  our  men,  after  they  had  looked  a  while  at 
the  shore,  feel  the  edge  of  their  cutlasses  and  slap  the 
breeches  of  the  guns  with  gestures  of  uncontrollable  excite- 
ment. ISTo  quarter-deck  speech  ever  awakened  such  deep 
and  eager  passions  as  were  excited  in  our  men  by  that  line 
of  coast,  growing  whiter  and  taller  and  greener  as  we  raced 
after  the  brig,  with  the  water  flying  in  sheets  over  the  fore- 
castle, and  the  air  all  around  filled  with  the  roaring  of 
canvas. 

The  brig  continued  to  fire  at  us,  though  her  balls  dropped 
a  long  way  short,  but  Shelvocke  took  no  notice  of  this.  It 
was  plainly  her  intention  to  seek  the  shelter  of  a  fort  that 
protected  the  entrance  of  a  small  bay  at  the  base  of  a  very 
noble  green  and  fertile  valley,  whose  rich,  deep  verdancy 


128  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

beautifully  contrasted  with  the  dazzling  white  of  the  chalk 
cliffs,  and  it  remained  to  be  seen  whether  she  would  be 
able  to  reach  that  shelter  before  we  could  get  between  her 
and  the  land. 

The  eyes  of  every  man  and  boy  in  the  schooner  stared 
forward  at  the  brig,  and  it  was  strange  to  behold  the  set, 
lowering  expressions  on  their  faces :  how  some  stood  with 
their  rugged,  naked  arms  locked  upon  their  breasts,  and 
some  leaning  with  their  hands  upon  the  guns,  and  some 
crouching  like  leashed  hounds  to  gaze  through  the  wind- 
ward ports,  and  all  of  them  preserving  a  dead  stillness; 
for  the  end  of  this  long  pursuit  was  at  hand.  It  was  a 
matter  of  time  only  whether  we  should  get  to  leeward  of 
the  Frenchman.  If  she  reached  the  protection  of  the  fort, 
Shelvocke  was  the  man  to  cut  her  out;  if  we  passed  her, 
and  separated  her  from  the  land,  we  were  sure  of  a  hot 
action.  In  either  case  warm  work  was  certain,  and  it  was 
being  led  up  to  by  as  exciting  a  chase  as  ever  took  place  on 
broad  waters. 

All  this  while  she  kept  hammering  at  us  with  a  couple  of 
long  eighteens,  which  they  had  trained  through  her  after- 
ports,  and  at  every  discharge  the  shot  flashed  up  the  spray 
nearer  and  nearer.  As  she  was  now  certainly  within  range 
of  our  bow-gun,  Shelvocke  gave  the  order  to  peg  away  at 
her  in  return ;  but  owing  to  the  lively  motion  of  the  schooner 
I  could  not  swear  that  we  did  her  any  mischief.  No  sooner 
did  we  begin  to  fire  than  the  fort  opened,  by  way,  I  sup- 
pose, of  encouraging  the  brig.  To  judge  by  the  volumes 
of  smoke  that  went  pouring  away  toward  the  giant  head- 
land, this  shore-battery  mounted  heavy  metal;  the  boom  of 
the  ordnance  struck  the  ear  with  a  ponderous  note  that 
sounded  high  above  the  yelling  of  the  wind  and  the  roaring 
of  the  passing  waters.  In  ten  minutes  from  this  time  the 
brig  was  not  a  mile  ahead,  and  her  shot  were  flying  over  us. 

"I  fear  we  shan't  be  able  to  round  her,  sir,"  said  I  to 
Shelvocke,  who  still  stood  on  the  gun,  steadying  himself 
with  the  backstay.  "  Would  it  be  worth  while  to  luff  and 
give  her  a  broadside?" 

"They'll  be  in  a  mess  in  a  moment  or  two  if  they  don't 
mind  their  eye,"  he  replied.  "I  see  something  that  looks 
uncommonly  like  broken  water  a  little  ahead  of  them,  and 


CAPE  ANTIFER.  129 

they're  steering  for  the  thick  of  it.  How  far  off  is  that 
coast,  think  you?" 

"  Four  miles,  sir." 

"Just  see  what  soundings  the  chart  gives,  Madison." 

I  ran  below,  overhauled  the  chart,  and  returned. 

"Fourteen  to  eight  close  in  shore,  sir,  but  there's  a  shoal 
with  twelve  feet  at  high- water  mark,  that  bears  W.  N.  W. 
from  the  fort." 

He  made  no  answer,  but  kept  his  eyes  steadily  fixed  on 
the  brig.  Now  and  again  I  could  see  the  water  spirt  up 
under  the  discharge  from  the  fort,  well  to  windward  of  the 
brig,  which  the  shot  were  more  likely  to  hit  than  ourselves* 
but  the  leaping  and  glancing  of  the  foam  under  the  strong 
wind  made  the  surface  of  the  water  extremely  confusing. 

I  levelled  the  glass  at  the  battery  that  was  situated  ou  the 
left  of  the  bay,  and  that  stood  out  in  bold  relief  against  the 
deep  green  of  the  valley  and  the  paler  verdure  of  the  fur- 
ther inclines.  It  mounted  six  guns,  three  pointing  sea- 
ward to  the  north,  and  the  others  covering  the  mouth  of 
the  bay;  they  w^ere  being  fired  one  after  another,  and 
through  the  telescope  I  could  see  the  red  tongues  of  flame 
flash  out,  and  the  white,  dense  clouds  of  smoke  go  slug- 
gishly to  leeward,  with  a  glimpse  of  figures  moving  on  the 
outer  walls  and  the  sparkle  of  small  arms  and  military 
accoutrements. 

There  were  a  couple  of  small  coasting  sloops  at  anchor  in 
the  bay,  pitching  and  tossing  consumedly  on  the  troubled 
waters;  the  glitter  of  the  high  surf  was  visible  all  along 
the  coast,  but  with  the  exception  of  a  small  cluster  of  huts 
upon  the  slope  a  long  way  behind  the  fort  and  on  the  con- 
fines of  the  valley,  I  could  perceive  no  sign  of  human  habi- 
tation; nor,  away  from  the  fort,  was  there  any  living 
creature  to  be  seen. 

I  was  ogling  the  enemy's  territory  with  active  curiosity, 
when  a  cry  from  Shelvocke  made  me  dash  down  the  glass 
and  spring  to  his  side. 

"Hard  aport!  in  with  that  foresail!  let  go  the  jib-hal- 
liards!" he  pealed  through  his  trumpet :  and  as  the  schooner 
plunged  round  into  the  wind,  chopping  the  heavy  seas  which 
ran  to  meet  her,  and  with  the  canvas  so  furiously  shaking 
overhead  that  the  shrouds  and  backstays  rattled  like  the 
9 


130  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

contents  of  a  china  warehouse  to  a  passing  van,  he  shouted: 
"Steady!  bear  a  hand,  men!  keep  your  stations  at  the 
port-guns — you  have  her  under  your  muzzles — now  you 
may  physic  her!" 

And  while  thirty  of  the  crew  were  brailing  in,  and  clew- 
ing up,  and  stripping  the  schooner  of  half  her  canvas,  our 
port  broadside  was  fired,  raising,  what  with  the  slatting  of 
the  sails,  and  the  stamping  of  the  men,  and  the  flinging 
down  of  coils  of  rope,  and  the  splashing  of  water,  and 
groaning  of  timbers,  and  hooting  of  the  wind,  such  a  hulla- 
baloo as  would  have  set  an  inexperienced  hand  calling  upon 
heaven  to  have  mercy  upon  his  soul. 

The  moment  I  could  find  time  to  look  about  me  I  saw 
the  reason  of  this  sudden  change  in  our  movements.  Just 
as  Shelvocke  had  hoped  or  predicted,  the  brig's  people  had 
run  the  unfortunate  craft  ashore  on  the  shoal  whose  exist- 
ence had  been  observed  by  our  captain's  keen  eye  when  two 
miles  away  from  it.  The  vessel  lay  on  her  port  broadside; 
the  thumping  blow  she  had  dealt  herself  had  carried  away 
both  topmasts,  and  as  she  had  a  press  of  sail  at  the  time — ■ 
royals,  studding-sails  every  cloth,  indeed  that  she  could 
stretch — she  presented  one  of  the  most  perfect  images  of 
confusion  the  imagination  could  picture  forth. 

Her  masts,  however,  did  not  go  until  after  we  had  given 
her  our  broadside,  and  when  Shelvocke  saw  her  deplorable 
condition,  the  word  was  passed  to  cease  firing.  They  con- 
tinued blazing  at  us  from  the  fort,  but  whether  because  we 
were  just  out  of  range  or  because  they  guessed  our  humane 
motive  in  not  playing  on  the  brig,  they  presently  stopped 
their  cannonading,  and  their  attention,  as  well  as  ours,  was 
fixed  on  the  hapless  chase. 

Very  fortunately  for  h^r  people  she  had  fallen  over  so  as 
to  expose  her  higher  side  to  the  sea;  had  she  slanted  her 
decks  to  the  surges  which  broke  against  and  burst  in  smoke 
over  her,  she  would  have  gone  to  pieces  in  ten  minutes. 
The  speed  with  which  she  was  travelling  at  the  time  she 
struck  had  run  her  high  on  the  ridge :  she  lay  with  two- 
thirds  of  her  copper  exposed  and  glowing  like  a  furnace  in 
the  sun,  her  bow  hove  high,  and  her  wrecked  spars  and 
sails  tossing  and  beating  and  looking  like  a  mass  of  tangled 
seaweed  alongside  of  her. 


CAPE  ANTIFER.  131 

There  was  a  whole  swarm  of  people  gathered  aft,  and 
apparently  utterly  helpless,  and  another  equally  helpless 
crowd  in  the  bows.  They  made  no  effort  to  help  them- 
selves, nor  was  there  any  appearance  of  a  rescue  from  the 
shore.     Shelvocke  beckoned  me  to  him. 

"Madison,"  said  he  "those  people  must  be  rescued,  and 
by  us ;  not  only  for  the  sake  of  our  common  humanity,  but 
for  the  sake  of  our  reputation  as  generous  enemies.  I 
select  you  for  this  task,  as  1  should  for  any  job  requiring 
nerve  and  judgment." 

I  immediately  sung  out  to  the  boatswain  to  pipe  the 
crew  of  the  first  cutter  away.  This  was  a  large,  powerful 
boat,  pulling  twelve  oars.  A  flag  of  truce  was  thrown  into 
her  and  fixed  in  the  bows,  and  as  we  shoved  off  a  gun  was 
fired  to  windward,  and  a  white  flag  hoisted  at  the  main, 
which  a  few  moments  after  was  answered  by  a'  white  flag 
at  the  battery  ashore. 

The  water  was  even  more  lively  than  I  had  supposed  it. 
At  one  moment  the  boat  would  be  thrown  up  to  the  summit 
of  a  roaring  sea,  whose  boiling  crest  foamed  above  the  gun- 
wales and  covered  the  knees  of  the  men  and  the  floor  with 
hissing  spume,  that  crackled  like  pods  of  seaweed  under 
the  tread,  and  we  seemed  to  look  down,  as  from  a  hill-top, 
upon  the  surrounding  plain  of  waters,  where  in  one  place 
lay  the  beautiful  schooner  bowing  to  the  surges  like  a  noble 
steed,  whose  curved  neck  and  pawing  forefoot  betoken  his 
eagerness  to  be  gone,  and  where  in  another  place  lay  the 
dismantled  and  motionless  brig  over  which  the  sea  was 
tossing  a  haze  of  spray,  while  her  hinderpart  was  black 
with  human  figures  watching  us ;  and  then  in  another  mo- 
ment down  we  would  sink  between  two  walls  of  bottle-green 
water,  in  whose  translucent  depths  one  now  and  again  could 
catch  fleeting  glimpses  of  a  fragment  of  marine  vegetable 
torn  from  its  sandy  soil,  or  the  horn-like  yellow  of  an  im- 
mense jelly-fish,  or  a  five-finger  washed  from  its  home 
among  the  rocks,  while  not  a  breath  of  air  reached  us  to 
cool  our  cheeks,  though  the  spray  flew  over  our  heads  in 
wreaths  and  clusters  like  masses  of  snow. 

There  was  but  one  way  of  boarding  the  brig,  and  that 
was  on  the  lee  bow,  the  raffle  that  was  overboard  being 
chiefly  on  the  port  quarter.     The  poor  creatures  raised  a 


132  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

quivering  sort  of  cheer  when  we  were  near  enough  to  hear 
them ;  they  guessed  our  errand,  and  really  our  country  had 
furnished  them  with  some  substantial  grounds  for  believing 
in  the  humanity  of  English  sailors. 

I  steered  the  boat  to  leeward  and  made  signs  to  the  peo- 
ple on  the  forecastle  to  coil  down  a  rope  ready  to  pitch  to 
us;  and  when  we  had  the  rope's  end  aboard,  the  boat  was 
hauled  cautiously  toward  the  wreck.  The  hull  of  the  brig 
acted  like  a  breakwater,  and  the  sea  was  tolerably  smooth 
under  the  lee  of  her,  though  the  moment  we  got  within  the 
range  of  it  we  were  drenched  through  with  spray.  She  lay 
in  about  ten  feet  of  water,  and,  watching  our  chance,  ten 
of  us  jumped  aboard,  while  the  men  left  in  charge  of  the 
boat  veered  out  the  line,  and  the  cutter  went  clear  of  the 
wreckage,  and  lay  rising  and  falling  like  a  cork. 

I  never  recall  the  scene  of  that  brig's  decks  without  feel- 
ing how  beggarly  words  are  as  reflectors  of  facts.  Benja- 
min West  might  have  painted  it,  but  even  the  artist  could 
only  show  it  as  it  appeared  at  one  instant  of  time;  the 
swift  and  endless  changes  of  posture,  the  despairing  ex- 
pressions of  face,  the  throbbing  of  colors  supplied  by  a 
thousand  passionate  motions  and  gestures,  could  only  be 
conveyed  by  as  many  pictures.  And  then  the  uproar!  the 
lamentations,  the  imprecations,  the  supplications — tumbling 
inboard  that  vessel  was  like  dropping  into  the  infernal 
regions. 

In  the  first  place  the  vessel  lay  bilged  at  an  angle  of 
about  fifty  degrees.  The  shooting  of  the  seas  over  her  side 
filled  the  deck  to  leeward  with  water,  and  I  was  up  to  my 
armpits  the  moment  I  got  aboard.  The  guns  had  fetched 
away  and  helped  out  the  frightful  mess  of  rigging,  hen- 
coops, hatchway-gratings,  round-shot,  pikes,  muskets, 
splintered  wood,  and  a  hundred  things  besides,  which 
choked  the  lee-scuppers.  At  least  a  dozen  dead  bodies  lay 
floating  or  sunk  in  as  many  postures  in  the  water  that  ex- 
tended like  a  small  lake  from  the  main-hatch  to  the  rail  of 
the  lee-bulwarks.  At  each  end  of  the  vessel  there  was 
collected  a  dense  crowd  of  men — soldiers  and  sailors — in- 
discriminately mixed,  and  at  least  a  score  of  priests.  I 
scanned  the  mobs  eagerly,  and  was  glad  to  find  no  women. 

I  own  I  was  amazed  to  observe  how  helpless  these  crea- 


CAPE  ANTIFER.  133 

tures  had  been  made  by  fear.  There  were  two  good  b«ats 
hanging  at  the  lee  davits,  and  a  cutter  on  chocks  amidships, 
big  enough  to  hold  thirty  persons.  Yet  no  one  had  thought 
of  getting  these  boats  afloat. 

Clinging  with  my  hands,  and  shoving  with  my  feet,  like 
a  dog  on  all-fours,  I  made  shift  to  scramble  clear  of  the 
water,  and  steadjring  myself  with  my  heels  against  the 
coamings  of  the  main  hatch,  I  sung  out  in  my  native  lan- 
guage to  know  if  there  was  anybody  aboard  who  could 
speak  English.  Two  or  three  voices  answered,  and  a 
priest  (as  white  as  wax)  waved  his  hand  to  engage  my 
attention. 

"Do  you  speak  English,  sir?"  I  shouted. 

"  Yes,  I  speak,"  he  replied,  in  a  good  accent. 

"  Then  please  order  silence  to  be  kept.  You  may  say  I 
shall  make  no  effort  to  save  them  if  they  don't  stop  their 
shindy." 

He  hollowed  his  hands  and  delivered  my  message  with  a 
shriek  like  a  woman's.  It  produced  the  effect  I  wanted; 
the  people  grew  as  silent  as  death,  and  nothing  was  to  be 
heard  but  the  thunder  of  the  seas  striking  the  brig,  and  the 
sharp  artillery  of  the  spray  lashing  the  decks  and  the  water 
beyond. 

"  Where  is  the  captain?"  I  shouted. 

The  priest  pointed  to  the  water  where  the  bodies  lay 
with  a  gesture  inexpressibly  mournful  and  pathetic. 

"Are  there  no  officers  aboard?" 

The  priest  glanced  behind  him;  there  was  a  movement 
among  a  group  of  soldiers  who  stood  wedged  together  and 
holding  on  to  one  another,  and  a  very  small  man,  not  above 
five  feet  high,  and  looking  more  like  a  corpse  than  a  living 
mortal,  was  unceremoniously  thrust  forward;  but  the  mo- 
ment the  hands  which  propelled  him  let  him  go,  he  fell 
down,  and  would  have  rolled  into  the  water  in  the  scup- 
pers, had  not  one  of  my  men  caught  him. 

This  poor  little  creature,  who  appeared  to  have  been 
badly  wounded,  proved  to  be  the  first  lieutenant;  but,  as 
he  was  in  a  condition  to  be  of  no  possible  service,  and  as  it 
was  evident  that  the  other  officers  were  too  much  ashamed 
or  too  much  alarmed  to  stand  forward  and  offer  to  help,  I 
resolved  to  waste  no  more  time  in  questions,  and  telling 


134  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

my  men  to  turn  to  smartly  and  cut  away  the  wreckage  that 
we  might  get  the  boats  overboard,  I  requested  the  priest  to 
order  the  French  seamen  to  assist  my  crew,  but  at  the 
same  time  to  require  the  soldiers  to  remain  where  they 
were  so  that  the  sailors  might  not  be  hindered  by  crowding. 

The  sight  of  the  Tigresses  going  to  work  on  the  laniards 
and  gear  with  knives  and  cutlasses,  hacking  away,  some  of 
them  with  the  water  up  to  their  throats,  and  laughing 
loudly  as  the  seas  came  foaming  down  upon  them,  hear- 
tened the  Frenchmen,  who,  giving  a  cheer  for  the  brave 
English,  fell  to  work  like  men.  In  ten  minutes'  time  the 
wreckage  was  cut  away  and  floating  free  of  the  brig.  The 
gangway  was  then  cleared,  the  boats  lowered  one  after  the 
other,  and  the  soldiers,  priests,  and  twenty  seamen  crowded 
into  them. 

Before  the  first  boat  shoved  off,  the  priest  who  had 
acted  as  my  interpreter  stood  up  to  ask  whether  they  were 
to  row  for  the  schooner  or  the  shore,  probably  expecting 
that  I  should  claim  them  as  prisoners ;  but  when  I  said  the 
shore,  every  man  shouted  Vivent  les Anglais!  The  soldiers 
waved  their  hats,  the  sailors  (out  of  compliment)  huzzaed 
after  our  British  fashion  of  cheering,  and  my  poor  priest 
seemed  to  bless  me  with  his  extended  hands.  It  was  a 
touching  scene,  and  I  was  heartily  glad  to  be  an  actor  in  it. 

We  had  great  trouble  to  get  the  big  cutter  out;  happily 
the  mainstay  stood,  and  by  clapping  tackles  on  to  it  and 
the  fore-yardarm,  we  managed  to  sway  the  boat  out  of  her 
chocks  and  drop  her  overboard  without  accident.  The  re- 
mainder of  the  crew  and  soldiers  were  numerous  enough  to 
load  her  down  to  the  gunwales.  I  saw  that  she  woald  be 
too  full  to  go  safely  through  such  a  sea  as  was  running, 
and  therefore  got  our  own  cutter  alongside,  and  stowed 
fourteen  Frenchmen  in  her.  This  done,  and  having  ascer- 
tained that  nothing  living  was  left  aboard,  I  jumped  clown 
the  main-hatch,  and  with  a  flint  and  steel  set  fire  to  the 
brig  in  three  places,  after  which  I  got  into  the  cutter,  and 
with  the  French  boat  in  company  pulled  away  for  the  shore. 

I  do  not  believe  the  Frenchmen  who  were  removed  from 
the  brig  cared  twopence  about  our  burning  her;  indeed,  the 
soldiers,  as  we  shoved  off,  exhausted  themselves  in  impre- 
cations upon  her,  and  again  and  again  I  burst  into  an  un- 


CAPE  ANTIFER.  135 

controllable  fit  of  laughter  over  the  extraordinary  grimaces, 
the  shrugs,  the  extravagant  gesticulations  of  the  people  we 
had  stowed  away  in  our  boat.  They  all  spoke  together, 
the  opening  of  one  man's  mouth  being  the  signal  for  all 
hands  to  burst  out,  and  after  a  while  the  poor  fellows  act- 
ually began  to  sing,  and  were  joined  by  the  others  in  the 
boat  astern  of  us,  though  the  spray  flew  over  us  in  sheets, 
and  as  we  neared  the  bay  the  popple  grew  ugly  enough  to 
demand  the  closest  vigilance. 

On  the  road  it  occurred  to  me  that  we  ought  to  have 
brought  the  body  of  the  French  captain  with  us,  that  he 
might  be  buried  with  honors;  but  when  I  turned  to  the 
Frenchmen,  and  in  my  broken  way  suggested  that  we  should 
return  before  the  fire  laid  hold  of  the  brig,  and  that  I  would 
take  the  risk  of  procuring  the  corpse,  they  all  to  a  man 
shook  their  heads  and  flourished  their  hands  with  an  air  of 
passionate  contempt,  and  said — so  far  as  I  could  gather 
from  the  rude  patois  they  spoke- — that  their  captain  had 
proved  himself  a  faineant,  a  poor  creature,  and  that  his 
memory  deserved  no  respect.  They  might  have  said  the 
same  thing  of  the  other  officers,  naval  as  well  as  military 
(for  I  presume  the  soldiers  had  officers  to  look  after  them), 
all  of  whom  had  behaved  like  arrant  cowards,  neglecting 
their  duty  and  hiding  among  the  men  when  the  brig  was  in 
danger,  and  skulking  into  the  first  boat  that  came  along- 
side. 

However,  I  had  not  much  time  allowed  me  to  think  over 
these  matters,  for  the  sea  ran  so  high  as  we  approached  the 
land,  and  both  cutters  were  so  deeply  laden,  that  there 
were  moments  when  we  were  in  real  peril,  and  it  was  not 
until  we  had  got  the  southern  fork  of  the  bay  between  us 
and  the  tossing  surges  that  I  drew  an  easy  breath.  Here, 
close  in  shore,  the  water  was  smooth,  though  opposite  the 
tumble  was  rough  enough  to  keep  the  two  coasters  dancing 
like  circus-horses,  and  a  heavy  surf  roared  upon  the  white 
sand  and  flung  a  hundred  sparkling  rainbows  upon  the  deep 
summer  foliage  that  enriched  the  gradual  slope  down  to 
within  fifty  feet  of  high-water  mark. 

The  whole  spot,  indeed,  was  a  perfect  paradise,  and  any 
man  would  have  thought  himself  upon  a  tropical  coast,  on 
viewing  the  deep  cool  forests  of  trees  which  backed  the 


138  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

bay,  and  spread  a  broad  surface  of  lovely  green  over  the 
huge  hollow  in  the  cliffs  which  rose  on  either  hand  from 
the  margin  of  the  water  until  they  attained  an  elevation  of 
some  hundreds  of  feet  of  shining  chalk,  upon  whose  sum- 
mits lay  the  verdant  plains  of  one  of  the  most  picturesque 
of  the  French  Departments,  resembling  at  that  distance  an 
endless  carpet  of  embroidered  green  silk. 

Immediately  opposite  the  beach  where  the  people  were 
landing  from  the  boats  which  had  first  left  the  wreck  was 
the  fort,  built  on  a  point  of  headland  about  sixty  feet  above 
the  sea;  the  white  flag  still  blew  from  the  tall  pole  in  the 
centre  of  it,  and  the  outer  wall  was  lined  with  soldiers 
watching  us.  Stumbling  upon  such  a  scene  as  this,  set  like 
a  gem  on  the  breast  of  a  towering  range  of  cliff,  was  like 
falling  asleep  in  the  middle  of  the  sea,  and  dreaming  of  a 
beautiful  land.  The  uniforms  of  the  garrison  at  the  fort, 
mere  spots  of  color  upon  the  grim,  coarse  outer  wall ;  the 
white  flag  streaming  against  the  green  of  the  outer  slopes; 
the  dazzling  white  of  the  immensely  high  cliffs,  stretching 
far  away  into  the  sea;  the  line  of  boiling  surf  that  ex- 
tended, like  a  pile  of  snow  which  had  been  swept  off  the 
ocean,  from  the  base  of  the  cliffs  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach,  down  to  the  northern  curve  of  the  bay;  the  tumbling 
waters  blowing  up  in  smoke  upon  the  dancing  greens  and 
whites  of  which  the  sloops  were  leaping,  with  the  sunshine 
flashing  in  their  streaming  sides,  and  kindling  stars  of 
blinding  brilliance  in  the  glass  upon  their  decks ;  the  shaggy 
mass  of  green  stretching  for  miles  up  the  gigantic  defile, 
and  the  glittering  silver  of  the  circle  of  white  sands,  in  the 
southernmost  corner  of  which  were  collected  the  crowd  of 
soldiers  and  sailors  and  priests  who  had  scrambled  ashore 
out  of  the  boats — formed  such  a  scene  of  unfamiliar  beauty, 
that  to  this  day  it  never  comes  before  me  without  a  dis- 
turbing sense  of  unreality. 

I  headed  the  cutter  for  the  spot  where  the  other  boats 
had  grounded,  and  no  sooner  did  her  stem  grate  upon  the 
sand,  than  my  Frenchmen  toppled  over  the  sides  and 
plunged  up  to  their  waists  in  the  water,  and  splashed 
ashore  as  fast  as  they  could  wade.  Immediately  afterward, 
the  fourth  boat  grounded,  and  the  haste  of  her  people  to 
land  was  more  diverting  still,  for  they  sprang  all  together, 


CAPE  ANTIFER.  137 

and  many  of  them  tumbled  on  their  noses  under  water, 
while  their  shakoes  and  hats  floated  away  to  sea  in  squad- 
rons. 

I  had  leisure  now  to  cast  my  eye  over  the  crowd,  and 
noticed  an  officer  dressed  out  in  full  puff,  in  a  fine  blue  coat 
laced  with  silver,  a  cocked  hat,  glossy  boots,  white  nan- 
keens, and  a  long  sparkling  sword.  He  was  a  handsome 
old  gentleman,  silver-haired,  with  dark,  shining  eyes,  and 
heavily  thatched  brows.  He  proved  to  be  the  commandant 
of  the  fort,  but  I  did  not  know  this  until  my  priest — who, 
now  that  he  was  ashore,  and  safe,  had  gathered  a  healthy 
complexion,  and  whose  gentle,  pensive,  intellectual  cast  of 
countenance  made  me  in  love  for  the  nonce  with  the  relig- 
ion that  could  work  so  beautiful  an  expression  in  the  human 
face — stepped  forward,  and  raising  his  voice  exclaimed  in 
English : 

"Sir,  I  am  desired  by  Monsieur  le  Colonel,"  indicating 
the  figged-out  officer  with  a  graceful  gesture,  "  to  express 
to  you,  in  the  name  of  the  French  nation,  his  gratitude  to 
you  and  your  noble  seamen  for  your  exertions  in  the  cause 
of  humanity.  It  was  in  your  power,  sir,  to  make  us  cap- 
tives by  taking  us  on  board  your  ship;  but  you  have  chosen 
to  complete  your  admirable  mission,  and  to  make  it  in  all 
respects  worthy  of  your  great  and  courageous  country,  by 
giving  us  our  liberty.  Sir,  I  thank  you  for  myself,  and 
for  these  my  comrades." 

And  while  I  raised  my  hat  to  the  colonel,  whose  cocked 
head-gear  swept  the  ground  as  he  returned  my  salutation, 
the  priest  repeated  his  speech  to  me  in  French  for  the  edi- 
fication of  the  people,  who  immediately  murmured  all  man- 
ner of  thanks,  though  I  caught  one  little  chap,  who,  I 
believe,  was  third  lieutenant  of  the  brig,  scowling  venom- 
ously at  me  between  the  elbows  of  a  couple  of  tall  seamen. 

"  Monsieur  le  Cure,"  said  I,  determined  not  to  be  outdone 
in  politeness,  "you  will  do  me  the  favor  to  assure  Monsieur 
le  Colonel  that  it  has  given  us  great  pleasure  to  be  of  use 
to  you;  and — speaking  for  myself — I  may  add,  I  am  heart- 
ily sorry  that  the  dreadful  necessities  of  war  should  have 
brought  about  the  melancholy  disaster  that  has  befallen 
you."  He  raised  his  hands  and  looked  up  to  heaven. 
"  Monsieur,  I  will  not  say  an  revoir,  I  do  not  want  to  meet 


138  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

any  of  you  again  until  peace  is  declared  between  our  two 
countries;  I  am  glad  to  have  been  able  to  help  you;  and 
so,  monsieur,  I  wish  you  heartily  adieu." 

The  priest  translated  this  to  the  crowd  while  we  were 
shoving  off,  and  as  we  pulled  the  boat's  head  round,  they 
gave  us  a  loud  cheer.  I  again  raised  my  hat,  the  men 
squared  their  elbows,  and  off  we  started  for  the  schooner. 

The  brig  was  burning  bravely  on  the  shoal  in  spite  of  the 
spray  that  dashed  over  her,  and  dense  volumes  of  smoke 
poured  from  her  along  the  water,  so  that  we  had  like  to  be 
smothered  as  we  passed  by ;  but  this  was  a  small  matter 
compared  to  the  risk  we  ran  from  her  guns,  and  the  chance 
of  her  blowing  up  before  we  should  get  well  away  from 
her.  It  is  true  that  several  of  her  cannons  were  under 
water,  but  I  had  noticed  that  some  of  her  pieces  were  in  a 
serviceable  condition,  and  we  really  did  not  require  more 
than  one  shot  to  sink  us. 

However,  we  got  past  without  accident,  though  soon 
after  the  Tigress  had  sighted  us  and  put  her  helm  up  to 
meet  us,  the  mainmast  and  gear  of  the  brig  being  in  flames 
fell  along  the  deck,  and  I  had  turned  my  head  to  look  at 
the  astonishing  shower  of  sparks  which  fled  in  whole  galax- 
ies along  the  black  line  of  smoke,  when  the  powder  caught, 
and  the  vessel  blew  up.  We  were  to  leeward  of  the  wreck, 
and  consequently  got  the  full  force  of  the  noise,  and  I  never 
would  have  believed  that  the  explosion  of  a  vessel  of  her 
size  could  have  produced  so  tremendous  a  concussion.  The 
whole  scene  all  around,  to  a  height  of  a  hundred  feet,  was 
full  of  smoke  and  flame,  of  exploding  hand-grenades  and 
bombshells,  of  huge  beams  of  glowing  wood  and  fragments 
of  blazing  canvas,  and  a  wonderful  sight  was  the  huge 
mainmast  that  darted  upward  on  fire,  like  a  flaming  spear 
hurled  from  the  hand  of  a  giant,  described  a  curve  like  the 
boomerangs  mentioned  by  Cook,  then  rushed  into  the  sea 
with  the  flames  in  the  form  of  wings  all  around  it,  and 
smiting  the  foaming  surface  of  a  wave,  vanished  with  a 
loud  shrieking  hiss,  shooting  midway  its  own  length  again 
into  the  air  after  a  short  interval,  when  it  lay  tossing  upon 
the  waters,  a  charred  and  blackened  spar. 

Scarcely  had  we  brought  the  cutter  alongside,  and  scram- 
bled aboard  the  Tigress,  when  the  white  flag  was  hauled 


CAPE  ANTIFER.  139 

down  from  the  fort,  and  they  opened  fire  upon  us.  I  have 
no  doubt  the  destruction  of  the  brig  maddened  the  old  com- 
mandant. As  soon  as  the  fort  began,  Shelvocke  ordered 
the  flag  of  truce  to  be  hauled  down,  and  the  English  en- 
sign hoisted  at  the  peak;  the  hands  were  turned  up  to 
make  sail,  and  before  a  fourth  round  could  be  discharged 
at  us,  the  Tigress,  untouched  by  the  iron  showers  which 
fell  all  around  her,  was  stretching  her  noble  form  along  the 
flashing  waters,  and  dwindling  the  fort  into  a  thing  no 
bigger  than  a  pea  upon  the  green  of  the  beautiful  valley  of 
the  Seine  coast. 


CHAPTEB  VI. 

AN    OLD    FRIEND. 

Had  the  Tigress  been  a  King's  ship  we  should  have  got 
some  credit  for  this  business.  No  particular  heroism,  it  is 
true,  had  been  exhibited,  though  that  was  not  our  fault, 
for  the  brig  would  not  fight  us ;  but  we  had  destroyed  a  fine 
vessel,  and  this  exploit  quickly  following  our  action  with 
the  corvette  would,  had  we  flown  a  pennant,  have  brought 
us  some  civil  letters  from  the  Admiralty,  the  honor  of  a 
gazetting,  and  better  things  still.  But  being  only  a  private 
ship,  the  adventure  yielded  us  neither  glory,  which  we 
could  have  made  shift  to  do  without,  nor  profit,  which  was 
one  of  the  things  we  wanted. 

However,  as  Shelvocke  said,  in  the  speech  he  delivered 
to  the  men  an  hour  after  we  had  got  away  from  the  fort, 
he  had  chased  the  brig  in  the  hope  of  capturing  her,  and  he 
was  perhaps  sorrier  than  any  man  aboard  that  the  pursuit 
had  ended  so  unprofitably  for  his  crew.  Luckily,  said  he, 
the  brig  was  not  the  only  fish  that  swam  in  the  sea ;  he 
meant  to  give  the  Channel  another  chance  or  two,  as,  so 
far,  he  had  no  reason  to  complain  of  his  luck  in  these 
waters;  but  he  should  extend  his  field  presently,  and  if  a 
cruise  in  the  West  India  latitudes  did  not  tassel  their 
pocket-handkerchiefs  with  dollars,  it  would  not  be  for  the 
want  of  laying  the  Tigress  alongside  rich  ships. 

We  cruised  for  four  days  without  anything  particular 
happening.  On  the  morning  of  the  fifth  day  we  were  off 
the  Casquets,  a  group  of  rocks  to  the  westward  of  the  clean 
and  tidy  little  island  of  Alderney,  and  we  were  feeling  our 
way  toward  the  south,  and  indeed  had  worked  as  far  as  the 
Schole  Bank,  when  a  sail  hove  in  sight  right  ahead,  stand- 
ing northeast  by  the  compass,  and  closing  the  south  horizon 


AN  OLD  FRIEND.  141 

to  us;    for  no  sooner  had  her  topsails  risen  than  we  pro- 
nounced her  a  Frenchman. 

This  was  disappointing,  as  Shelvocke  had  talked  of  look- 
ing along  the  coast  as  far  as  Granville,  where  we  might 
hope  to  have  found  some  business  waiting  for  ns.  How- 
ever, the  tower  of  canvas  rising  ahead  advertised  us  of  a 
great  hull  underneath,  and  when  we  had  lain  to  long  enough 
to  see  the  whole  of  her  (for  Shelvocke  was  not  the  man  to 
turn  tail  until  he  knew  what  he  was  running  away  from) 
the  stranger  discovered  herself  to  be  a  ninety-four,  her 
sides  swarming  with  gun-muzzles,  and  cannon  bristling 
from  her  poop,  gangways,  and  forecastle. 

I  searched  the  horizon  around  her,  suspecting  her  to  be 
the  van  of  a  squadron ;  but  no  other  sail  was  in  sight, 
whence  Shelvocke  suggested  that  the  Channel  fleet  having 
put  into  Cawsand  Bay  (as  had  been  reported  to  us  by  a 
small  English  collier  that  we  had  spoken  two  days  previ- 
ously), this  Frenchman  had  been  detached  to  reconnoitre 
the  island  of  Guernsey,  upon  which  fertile  and  pleasant 
piece  of  vantage-ground  Bonaparte  had  been  casting  a 
languishing  eye  for  some  considerable  time  past. 

There  was  a  ncble  sailing-breeze  blowing,  and  though  the 
monster  astern,  on  sighting  us,  had  braced  up  and  triced 
out  her  bowlines  and  headed  for  the  weather-gage,  neither 
her  presence  or  her  movements  gave  us  the  least  uneasiness. 
Guernsey  was  within  easy  reach,  and  from  Petit  Bot  Bay 
to  St.  Peter's  Point  there  was  as  much  protection  as  we 
should  need.  The  schooner  was  put  about,  the  English 
ensign  hoisted,  and  every  stitch  of  fore-and-aft  canvas  set. 
In  a  few  minutes  we  found  we  could  drop  our  friend,  or 
keep  her  in  one  place,  just  as  we  pleased;  whereupon  Shel- 
vocke, who,  like  the  old  romancers,  loved  to  make  his 
beauty  coquet  with  the  ogres,  lowered  his  gaff-topsail, 
hauled  up  the  clew  of  the  mainsail,  and  took  in  his  flying- 
jib,  though  even  under  this  reduced  canvas  the  Tigress  had 
to  be  luffed  from  time  to  time,  and  the  wind  shaken  out  of 
her  sails,  to  prevent  her  sinking  the  hull  of  the  looming 
hooker  astern. 

Yet  I  write  in  no  disdain  of  this  French  ship,  for  she 
was  a  noble-looking  vessel,  though  dwarfed  by  distance 
and  surrounded  by  the  deep,  whose  mightiness  depresses 


142         AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

the  grandest  works  of  mortal  hands  into  but  a  mean  and 
little  show.  Through  one  of  the  powerful  glasses,  which 
were  among  the  most  useful  of  the  Tigress'  fittings,  I  be- 
held the  French  ship  as  clearly  as  though  she  lay  within  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  from  us,  and  could  have  dwelt  for  hours 
upon  the  beautiful  fabric  peeling  the  green  seas  with  her 
metalled  cutwater  into  two  bright,  oil-smooth  waves,  which 
broke  into  glittering  silver  at  her  gangways ;  and  upon  the 
stateliness  of  her  erect  posture  under  the  weight  of  her 
swelling  canvas ;  and  upon  the  snow-white  line  of  hammock 
cloths  topping  the  black  bulwarks,  pierced  by  the  iron  teeth 
of  heavy  guns;  and  upon  the  delicate  black  shadows  thrown 
by  the  stays  and  braces  on  the  brilliant  sails,  whose  corners 
were  softly  shadowed. 

By  this  time  it  must  have  been  apparent  to  her  people 
that  they  might  as  well  endeavor  to  chase  a  seagull  as  the 
schooner;  but  they  held  on  after  us  nevertheless,  sailing 
full  and  bye,  probably  provoked  into  continuing  a  useless 
chase  by  the  sight  of  our  red  flag.  I  believe  they  imagined 
we  meant  to  tight  them  when  they  saw  us  shorten  sail,  for 
a  puff  of  smoke  broke  out  of  her  bows,  and  sailed  away  to 
leeward  in  a  growing  cloud,  and  after  a  while  the  boom  of 
the  report  reached  our  ears.  But  as  she  was  some  miles 
distant,  we  did  not  trouble  ourselves  to  look  where  the  ball 
dropped. 

I  was  amused  by  young  Peacock  coming  up  to  me,  and 
touching  his  cap,  inquired  if  I  knew  whether  Captain  Shel- 
vocke  meant  to  engage  the  Frenchman. 

"  Why,  you  young  fire-eater!"  I  exclaimed,  "are  you  in 
a  hurry  to  die  that  you  ask  such  a  question?  One  broad- 
side from  that  chap  would  blow  us  into  dust." 

"  I  should  like  to  try  that  scheme  I  spoke  to  you  about, 
sir,  and  which  Mr.  Chestree  ridiculed,"  said  he,  fixing  his 
large,  dark,  melancholy  eyes  on  mine  with  a  look  of  ear- 
nestness in  them  that  would  have  set  many  a  girl's  heart 
palpitating.  "With  the  captain's  leave  I'd  undertake  to 
board  her  aloft,  and  douse  her  colors." 

"  I  dare  say  you  would  if  she  gave  you  time.  But  we 
should  have  to  get  broadside  on  to  her  to  enable  you  to 
gain  her  spars  from  ours;  and  how  long,  Mr.  Peacock,  do 
you  suppose  the  guns  of  that  ship  would  allow  us  to  lie 


AN  OLD  FRIEND.  143 

alongside?  Never  fear  but  that  you'll  meet  with  some- 
thing proper  to  practise  your  ideas  upon,  but  if  you  want 
to  catch  a  shark  you  mustn't  angle  with  a  gudgeon-hook." 

He  walked  forward,  casting  lingering  glances  at  the 
Frenchman  over  his  shoulder. 

Shelvocke  looked  at  him  as  he  left  me,  and  crossing  the 
deck,  asked  me  what  he  had  been  saying.  I  told  him,  and 
he  smiled. 

"The  lad  has  great  spirit,"  said  he,  with  the  softened 
voice  and  suggestion  of  fondness  I  had  often  noticed  in  him 
when  addressing  the  young  fellow,  or  speaking  of  hftn. 
"I  doubt  if  he'd  shirk  the  ugliest  job  you  could  put  him 
into.  What  think  you  of  his  face?  He  has  a  pretty  look 
at  times,  I  fancy." 

"  I  never  met  a  handsomer  nor  a  more  interesting  face  in 
a  youth,  sir.  I  question  if  he's  purely  English.  There  is 
a  southern  tint  in  the  skin,  and  a  soft  darkness  in  the 
eyes " 

"  Sail  ho!"  shouted  a  fellow  on  the  forecastle. 

There  was  no  need  to  ask  where  away,  for  when  I  raised 
my  eyes  they  encountered  the  upper  canvas  of  a  vessel 
about  two  points  on  the  weather-bow.  She  was  a  full- 
rigged  ship,  and  making  a  due  easterly  course,  and  shortly 
after  she  had  hove  in  sight  we  raised  another  sail  a  little 
to  windward  of  her,  that  proved  to  be  a  brig. 

We  watched  them  anxiously,  for  if  they  turned  out  to  be 
Frenchmen  we  should,  in  all  probability,  find  ourselves  in 
a  pleasant  little  quandary,  as  by  wearing  and  standing 
down  athwart  our  hawse,  they  could  not  only  foil  our 
efforts  to  reach  Guernsey,  but  force  us  to  bring  the  wind 
aft,  in  which  case  the  line-of -battle  ship  astern  would  have 
us  at  her  mercy. 

Suddenly  the  ship  hoisted  English  colors,  squared  her 
yards,  threw  out  a  couple  of  studding-sails,  and,  followed 
by  the  brig,  stood  for  the  Frenchman,  whom  she  had  prob- 
ably only  just  made  out.  We  now  saw  that  she  was  a 
frigate,  of  what  weight  of  metal  it  was  not  easy  to  guess, 
as  a  vessel  pierced  as  she  was,  for  forty  guns,  might  carry 
more  or  less  than  that  number;  but  though  she  was  un- 
doubtedly a  crack  ship  of  her  class,  she  looked  no  match 
for  the  huge  liner  whose  soaring  heights  of  canvas  seemed 


144  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

to  sweep  the  very  heavens,  while  the  brig  that  accompanied 
her  had  the  air  of  an  old  collier  with  her  badly  stayed 
masts,  dark  sails,  and  leaning  bulwarks,  which  overhung 
her  decks  like  the  flap  of  a  Spanish  sombrero. 

As  they  came  along,  the  brig  about  two-thirds  of  a  mile 
astern  of  her  consort,  the  frigate  threw  out  several  signals : 
each  of  them  had  her  boarding-nettings  triced  up.  and  it 
was  clear  that  fighting  was  meant.  The  gallant,  dashing 
manner  in  which  they  bore  down  upon  their  vast  opponent, 
shifting  their  helm  and  running  for  her  with  no  more  hesi- 
tation or  swerving,  as  they  bowled  along  under  a  press  of 
sail,  than  the  slogster  Mendoza  exhibited  when  he  stepped 
into  the  ring,  set  most  of  our  hearts  beating  quickly. 

The  magnificent  intrepidity  with  which  English  seamen 
— and  I  would  speak  particularly  of  the  men  of  those  times 
— dashed  into  battle  without  stopping  to  reckon  up  the 
enemy's  strength  and  advantages,  is  a  stirring  thing  even 
to  read  about,  but  the  seeing  it  even  but  once  was  enough 
to  give  the  heart  the  most  inspiriting  memory  one  must 
hope  to  get  out  of  this  life. 

I  asked  Shelvocke  what  he  meant  to  do. 

"  Why,  stand  b}T  to  windward,  to  help  our  people  if  they 
want  assistance.  I  would  gladly  give  them  a  hand  at  once, 
but  those  naval  officers  are  as  jealous  as  the  very  devil  of 
us  privateersmen,  and  I  remember  the  fable  of  the  lion's 
treatment  of  the  jackass  when  the  two  went  a  foraging." 

I  had  been  watching  the  French  ship,  and  doubting  by 
her  keeping  everything  fast  aloft  whether  she  meant  to 
fight.  Once  she  starboarded  her  helm  and  went  away  to 
leeward,  a  manoeuvre  that  Shelvocke  instantly  took  advan- 
tage of  by  putting  the  schooner  about.  But  the  Tigress  too 
had  not  been  five  minutes  settled  clown,  and  buzzing  along 
a  course  that  would  bring  us  close  to  the  English  brig,  as 
she  followed  in  the  wake  of  the  frigate,  when  the  French- 
man luffed,  took  in  his  royals  and  two  topgallant-sails, 
and  hauled  up  his  courses, — and  at  the  same  time  ietfly  the 
whole  of  his  upper  tier  of  starboard  guns  at  us;  they  were 
thirty-two  pounders,  and  we  had  fallen  within  range  of 
them  by  backing;  half  the  balls  hurtled  through  the  rigging 
high  over  our  heads,  and  the  rest  flew  harmlessly  astern : 
nobody  was  hurt,  but  a  good  many  ropes  which  had  been 


AN  OLD  FRIEND.  145 

taut  enough  before  were  flying  about  in  streamers,  and  the 
gaff-foresail  came  down  with  a  run. 

I  saw  by  the  expression  in  Shelvocke's  face  that  he  was 
about  to  order  the  salute  to  be  returned;  but  he  checked 
himself,  and  stood  in  silence  watching  the  huge  ship,  while 
the  crew  sprang  here  and  there,  repairing  damages  and 
making  sail. 

Almost  immediately  after  the  Frenchman  had  dosed  us, 
the  frigate  shortened  sail,  took  a  reef  in  her  fore  and  miz- 
zen-topsails,  and  put  her  helm  down,  being  about  a  mile 
to  windward  of  the  enemy.  The  brig  was  coming  down 
slowly,  though  under  a  whole  cloud  of  canvas,  and  as  she 
neared  us,  Shelvocke  wore  the  Tigress,  shortening  sail  fore 
and  aft  in  order  to  speak  her.  By  this  time  the  action  be- 
tween the  frigate  and  the  ninety-four  had  commenced,  and 
the  hulls  of  the  two  ships  were  enveloped  in  dense  masses 
of  smoke,  streaked  here  and  there  with  ugly  bluish  tints, 
and  above  which  and  jutting  out  like  the  spires  of  tall 
churches  from  a  dense  fog,  might  be  seen  the  lofty  mast- 
heads of  the  vessels,  with  their  pennants  streaming  against 
the  pure  limpid  blue  of  the  sky.  The  metal  of  the  com- 
batants was  the  heaviest  at  that  time  afloat,  and  the  thun- 
derous explosions  of  the  guns  resembled  the  raging  of  an 
electric  storm ;  the  very  wind  was  stilled  by  the  hellish 
uproar,  and  the  waves  appeared  to  have  lost  their  buoyant 
play. 

My  attention,  however,  was  diverted  by  the  approach  of 
the  brig,  and  by  Shelvocke  springing  on  to  the  bulwarks 
and  hailing  her.  They  were  at  that  moment  shortening 
sail,  and  the  rigging  was  dotted  with  men,  while  groups  of 
half-naked  seamen  stood  quietly  at  the  guns;  the  sugges- 
tion of  discipline  was  perfect;  and  the  captain,  a  fine-look- 
ing young  fellow,  who  answered  Shelvocke's  hail,  spoke 
with  the  ease  and  composure  of  a  man  out  on  a  holiday 
cruise. 

"We  are  the  English  privateer  schooner  Tigress,"  sung 
out  Shelvocke,  "  and  I  should  be  glad  for  instructions  how 
to  act  in  this  engagement.  I  don't  want  to  exceed  what 
may  be  thought  my  duty." 

"You  had  better  heave  to  and  watch  us,  sir,"  answered 
the  captain  of  the  brig.  "  I  hope  we  may  not  require  your 
10 


146  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

help;    but  should  the  need  arise,  I  will  summon  you  by 
hoisting  a  swallow-tailed  blue-and-yellow  flag." 

Shelvocke  waved  his  hand,  and  her  helm  was  shifted; 
for  by  this  time  we  had  neared  the  frigate,  over  whom  the 
balls  of  the  Frenchman  were  flying  as  thick  as  peas,  and 
flashing  up  the  water  to  leeward  of  us. 

By  the  time  the  schooner  had  been  hove  to  clear  of  the 
cannonading,  the  brig  had  tailed  on  to  the  enemy,  and 
added  the  thunder  of  her  guns  to-  the  tremendous  bellowing 
of  the  others.  It  was  difficult  to  see  the  manoeuvring,  for 
the  smoke  clung  like  white  sheets  to  the  spars  and  hulls  of 
the  ships,  and  tilled  the  whole  theatre  of  the  action  with  a 
fog  that  shut  out  the  very  heavens  for  the  space  of  a  mile 
on  either  hand  of  the  combatants.  The  cannonading  was 
furious — a  man  had  hardly  time  to  draw  breath  between 
the  explosions;  the  glancing  of  the  flames  from  the  guns 
upon  the  pall  of  smoke  was  so  incessant  that  one  might 
have  thought  a  great  fire  was  burning  upon  the  water  be- 
tween the  vessels,  and  the  deck  of  the  schooner  trembled 
like  a  house  when  a  heavy  wagon  passes  the  door.  From 
time  to  time  one  could  just  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  English 
vessels  twisting  around  the  French  ship  as  one  may  have 
seen  a  couple  of  dogs  snuffling  and  running  round  a  tree  up 
which  a  cat  has  fled,  while  whole  hurricanes  of  fire  belched 
forth  in  double  and  even  in  treble  lines  at  a  time  from  the 
sides  of  the  great  liner,  who  reminded  me — as  she  manoeu- 
vred, so  as  to  avoid  being  raked,  while  the  spray  leaped 
about  her  bows  and  hung  in  trails  from  the  stem— of  a  huge 
boar  brought  to  bay  and  turning  upon  its  pursuers. 

Presently  I  noticed  the  frigate  put  her  helm  up  and  head 
for  the  Frenchman's  quarter,  with  the  evident  intention  of 
boarding;  at  the  same  moment  the  brig  was  preparing  to 
take  up  a  raking  position  right  athwart  the  enemy's  hawse. 
But  the  big  ship  was  admirably  handled;  I  had  never  im- 
agined that  anything  approaching  such  seamanship  was  to 
be  found  in  the  French  navy.  She  drove  ahead,  dropping 
the  frigate  astern  as  she  did  so,  and  giving  her  the  whole 
strength  of  her  broadside  as  she  passed.  The  fore  and 
main  topmasts  of  the  frigate  fell  under  the  discharge,  as 
though  men  had  been  sent  aloft  to  saw  them  off.  A  few 
moments  after,  the  Frenchman's  jibboom  forged  over  the 


AN  OLD  FRIEND.  147 

brig's  forecastle  under  the  topmast-stay;  the  brig  had 
backed  her  yards  for  a  stern-board,  to  escape  the  collision 
that  threatened  to  cut  her  down,  and  the  enemy's  jibboom, 
like  a  giant's  hand  upon  the  stay,  bore  down  the  little  ves- 
sel's fore-topmast  with  a  crash  and  uproar  of  splintered 
wood.  The  brig  dropped  to  leeward,  carrying  the  French- 
man's jibboom  with  her,  and  with  her  bow  dead  on  end  to 
the  liner's  broadside  that  was  let  fly  at  her,  with  what  effect 
I  could  not  imagine,  though  I  judged  it  as  deadly  a  raking 
as  any  vessel  ever  received  from  another.  With  an  alert- 
ness that  would  have  done  credit  to  the  best  commander  in 
our  navy,  the  Frenchman  was  got  before  the  wind,  flinging 
the  fire  of  his  port-batteries  at  the  frigate  as  he  passed  her, 
and  leaving  her  a  mere  confused  heap  of  wreckage  aloft. 
Cloth  after  cloth  was  thrown  out,  and  with  every  spar 
standing  save  the  mizzen  topgallant-mast,  the  enemy  stood 
to  the  southeast,  running  up  her  studding-sails  in  her 
eagerness  to  escape,  and  with  crowds  of  men  aloft  splicing, 
knotting,  fishing,  and  in  every  practicable  way  balsaming 
the  rigging  that  it  might  carry  them  home. 

The  two  English  vessels,  like  men  who  had  been  knocked 
breathless  and  blind,  hung  uselessly  upon  the  gleaming 
surges,  and  it  was  a  sight  to  see  the  smoke  of  the  finished 
battle  floating  in  a  huge  wool-white  cloud  away  ahead  of 
the  Frenchman,  whose  canvas  shone  like  marble  against  it. 

I  noticed  Shelvocke  pacing  in  short  turns  at  the  extreme 
end  of  the  quarterdeck.  He  beckoned  me  to  him  with  a 
toss  of  the  head,  and  said  hurriedly : 

"  I  should  like  to  follow  that  ship.  Her  capture  would 
beautifully  turn  the  tables  on  the  epaulets,"  his  nickname 
for  naval  officers,  "who  cheated  me  out  of  the  honor  of 
beating  the  corvette.  But,"  glancing  at  the  huge  square 
tower  that  was  fast  drawing  toward  the  horizon,  "she  is 
too  strong  for  us  alone,  and  those  vessels  are  as  useless  as 
cocked-hats  now.  Starboard  your  helm,"  he  exclaimed  to 
the  fellow  who  was  steering,  "  and  let  her  drop  under  the 
frigate's  stern." 

As  we  approached  the  two  vessels  which  lay  within  pis- 
tol-shot of  each  other,  we  got  a  better  notion  of  the  mischief 
the  Frenchman  had  done  them.  There  were  some  hands 
over  the  side  of   the   brig  examining  the  shot-holes,  her 


148  AN  OCEAN  FREELANCE. 

pumps  were  working  furiously,  and  streams  of  water,  col- 
ored crimson  by  the  carnage  of  the  decks,  gushed  from 
every  scupper-hole.  There  were  several  dead  bodies  float- 
ing under  her  bows,  their  arms  and  legs  and  their  heads  on 
the  limber  necks  tossing  with  horrible  and  extravagantly 
grotesque  gestures  on  the  wobbling  waters.  Her  port  amid- 
ship  bulwarks  had  been  shattered  to  fragments,  leaving  ex- 
posed the  deck  that  exhibited  a  ghastly  spectacle  of  dead 
and  dying  and  wounded  men,  mixed  up  with  splinters  of 
spars,  heaps  of  rigging,  sails,  timber  of  boats,  and  a  hun- 
dred other  things  whose  wrecked  condition  left  them  un- 
recognizable and  nameless.  A  small  group  of.  men,  naked 
to  the  waist,  and  bespattered  with  blood  and  black  with 
the  grime  of  the  guns,  were  working  the  chain-pumps; 
others  were  making  some  half-hearted  efforts  to  clear  away 
the  raffle,  but  I  could  not  count  above  twenty  living  per- 
sons in  all,  though  her  decks,  God  knows,  had  been  full 
enough  when  we  hailed  her  on  the  way  to  the  engagement. 

On  the  other  hand,  while  the  frigate  looked  almost  as 
complete  a  wreck  aloft,  her  hull  was  comparatively  un- 
injured, nor  did  she  appear  to  have  many  men  hurt.  Her 
crew  still  made  a  great  swarm,  and  they  were  all  hard  at 
work  repairing  damages  and  rigging  up  a  pair  of  shears, 
and  making  ready  to  sway  a  jury-topmast  aloft,  while  her 
Officers  ran  to  and  fro  singing  out  orders,  and  the  boatswain 
and  his  mates  piped  like  canaries  in  different  parts  of  the 
vessel. 

The  captain,  a  tall,  gaunt,  yellow  man,  with  a  ring  of 
hair  round  his  face  that  gave  him  very  much  the  appear- 
ance of  a  Madagascar  ape,  sat  on  a  skylight  rubbing  the 
top  of  his  left  knee,  that  had  probably  been  grazed  by  a 
shot.  As  we  glided  slowly  past,  Shelvocke  hailed  him  to 
know  if  we  should  be  of  any  use,  and  was  answered  by  a 
surly  "No!"  the  fellow  scarcely  deigning  to  glance  at  us  as 
he  replied.  The  blood  flushed  Shelvocke's  face,  and  with 
a  quick  gesture  of  the  hand  he  motioned  the  helm  of  the 
schooner  to  be  put  down. 

"  Get  all  plain  sail  made,  Mr.  Madison !"  he  sung  out. 
"  The  play  is  over,  and  there  is  nothing  more  to  keep  us;" 
and  presently  the  Tigress,  with  her  head  to  the  north- 
west, was  stealing  along  the  waters  which  were  quieting 


AN  OLD  FRIEND.  149 

down  with  the  falling  breeze,  and  growing  a  deep  pure 
blue,  over  which  in  the  south  hung  a  sky  of  exquisitely 
delicate  amber,  that  reddened  into  purple  where  the  sun 
was  sinking  without  a  cloud  to  obstruct  his  lonely  and  regal 
descent.  The  red  and  slanting  rays  of  the  glorious  lumi- 
nary seemed  to  be  concentrated  upon  the  two  vessels,  and 
a  whole  constellation  of  ruby-colored  stars  sparkled  in  the 
streaming  sides  of  the  brig,  whose  hull  had  sunk  low  in  the 
water,  and  between  whom  and  the  frigate  several  boats 
were  plying. 

"How  reluctantly  a  vessel  goes  to  her  deathbed,"  said 
Shelvocke,  watching  Avith  me  the  sinking  brig,  and  speak- 
ing in  a  low  voice,  as  though  subdued  by  the  pathos  of  this 
ocean-picture  of  the  mutilated  frigate  and  her  slowly  van- 
ishing consort,  the  leagues  of  lonely  water  around,  the  red 
glare  of  sunset  that  deepened  the  impressiveness  of  the 
scene  by  the  lurid  coloring  it  imparted  to  the  vessels, 
throwing  them  into  strong  relief  against  the  calm  sweet 
amber  of  the  heavens  beyond ;  "  one  thinks  of  a  ship  as  of 
a  living  thing  at  such  a  time,  and  the  gurgling  of  the  water 
in  the  hold  is  like  the  gasping  sobs  of  a  drowning  man." 

"There  she  goes,  sir,"  I  exclaimed,  as  the  little  vessel 
cocked  her  bows  to  the  very  forefoot  of  her  out-of-water 
and  buried  her  stern ;  in  a  few  moments  the  hull  vanished, 
and  as  her  lower-masts  stuck  for  a  brief  pause  out  of  water, 
methought  that  the  sinking  brig  might  have  been  likened 
to  some  veteran  sailor  stretching  his  mutilated  stumps  to 
heaven  in  a  last  prayer  as  he  went  down  to  his  rest  among 
the  sands  and  shells  under  the  sea. 

"The  action  was  bravely  fought,"  said  Shelvocke, 
watching  the  frigate,  who  had  set  a  fore-topsail  and 
hoisted  her  boats,  and  appeared  to  be  standing  after  us, 
"  though  it  has  lost  England  a  vessel  and  the  best  part  of 
a  stout  crew.  The  frigate  was  badly  handled  at  the  last. 
If  ever  I  have  the  honor  of  meeting  her  monkey-faced  cap- 
tain I'll  tell  him  so.  Nearly  the  whole  brunt  of  the  battle 
was  borne  by  the  little  brig,  and  had  she  been  properly 
supported  the  Frenchman  would  now  be  under  British 
colors.     Did  you  notice  the  frigate's  name?" 

"Yes,  sir;  the,  Andromache." 

"  I  must  find  out  who  her  captain  is.     Ill-manners  always 


150  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

make  me  feel  malignant.  Some  day  I  may  chance  to  be  in 
his  company,  and  I  should  be  sorry  to  discover  that  I  had 
missed  the  chance  of  calling  him  a  bad  seaman  to  his  face 
for  the  want  of  knowing  him." 

"He  sails  his  ship  large,  sir.  He  has  bore  away  four 
points." 

"Heading  for  Guernsey,  and  the  best  thing  he  can  do," 
said  Shelvocke,  pulling  out  a  cigar,  a  luxury  that  was 
rarely  out  of  his  mouth. 

As  the  twilight  faded  we  lost  sight  of  the  frigate,  but 
when  the  night  closed  in  the  wind  completely  died  away, 
and  we  lay  motionless  on  a  dark  and  breathless  surface  of 
sea,  with  an  unclouded  heaven  over  us  full  of  stars  whose 
light  hung  in  unblemished  yellow  flakes  in  the  still  water. 

It  remained  calm  all  that  night,  and  when  the  sun  rose 
next  morning  we  saw  the  frigate  almost  in  the  same  spot 
we  had  sighted  her  in  before  the  darkness  fell.  The  sea 
was  as  white  as  a  cotton  sheet  under  the  thin,  steam-colored 
haze  that  tarnished  the  blue  sky,  save  in  the  east,  where 
the  reflection  of  the  sun  hung  in  the  form  of  a  gigantic  sil- 
ver cone.  I  feared  from  the  aspect  of  the  weather  that  we 
were  doomed  to  spend  another  long  inactive  day,  but  shortly 
after  breakfast  the  water  in  the  south  darkened  under  a 
rushing  wind  that  crisped  up  the  foam  as  a  cook  froths  a 
syllabub,  and  it  was  pleasant  to  see  the  swifter  currents  of 
air  shooting  along  the  surface  of  the  glassy  water  ahead  of 
the  dark  line  of  the  approaching  wind,  like  eels  snaking  off 
in  a  hundred  directions,  and  lengthening  and  contracting  as 
they  sped  along. 

The  breeze  came  dead  on  end  from  the  French  coast,  and 
this  decided  Shelvocke  to  quit  that  part  of  the  Channel  for 
an  English  port  where  he  might  hope  to  hear  news  of  a 
French  convoy.  Accordingly  the  schooner's  course  was 
shaped  for  Dartmouth,  and  we  bowled  along  smoothly  be- 
fore the  warm  strong  wind  that  blew  over  our  port  quarter, 
until  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  when  we  made  out  a 
large  ship  under  easy  canvas  apparently  standing  up  Chan- 
nel. But  the  moment  she  sighted  us  she  cracked  on  all  the 
sail  she  could  set,  though  without  altering  her  course. 

It  was  my  watch  below,  but  I  was  on  deck,  lounging 
in  the  waist,  smoking  a  pipe  and  enjoying,  as  I  stood  in 


AN  OLD  FRIEND.  151 

the  shadow  of  the  foresail — the  foot  of  which  made  a  noble 
curve  from  the  foremast  to  the  gangway — the  cool  blowing 
of  the  wind  that  recoiled  and  breezed  down  vertically  from 
the  hollow  of  the  huge  cloths.  Chestree  was  examining 
the  vessel  ahead  with  a  glass,  and  I  sung  out  to  him  to  tell 
me  what  she  was  like. 

"  Why,  sir,  if  she's  not  an  English  East  Indiaman,  I'll 
eat  my  head,"  he  answered.  "I  believe  I  have  seen  that 
ship  over  and  over  again,  though  for  the  life  of  me  I  can't 
think  of  her  name.  Will  you  look  at  her,  sir?"  and  he 
handed  me  the  glass. 

"Hang  me,"  I  exclaimed,  after  a  short  squint,  "if  I 
don't  think — God  bless  my  heart! — of  course!  I  see  her 
now — she  is  the  old  Bombay  Castle  !  " 

"Ay,"  shouted  Chestree,  "that's  her  name,  Mr.  Madi- 
son." 

"  I  see  the  red  capstan  of  her  forecastle — and  the  black 
hoops  of  her  mizzen-mast,  like  the  keys  of  a  piano-forte — 
and  the  galleries  over  the  stern  big  enough  for  the  Lord 
High  Admiral  to  take  the  air  in!"  I  cried,  much  excited 
by  this  sudden  stumbling  upon  an  old  friend.  "  Mr.  Ches- 
tree, jump  below  and  tell  Captain  Shelvocke  that  his  old 
ship  is  in  sight." 

And  while  he  was  gone  I  overhauled  the  flag  locker, 
where,  among  a  whole  pile  of  bunting — for  besides  our 
mercantile  code  we  carried  the  colors  of  every  nation  that 
flew  an  ensign — I  found  what  I  sought — Hannay's  house- 
flag,  a  large,  square  red  flag  with  a  yellow  castle  for  a  cen- 
tre-piece, and  a  white  star  at  each  corner,  and  told  Peacock 
to  bend  it  on  to  the  main  halliards  and  hoist  it. 

In  a  few  moments  Shelvocke  came  tumbling  up  through 
the  companion,  and  seizing  the  glass,  worked  away  at  the 
ship  with  it. 

"Ay,  poor  old  hooker!"  he  exclaimed  in  a  soft  voice, 
such  as  a  man  speaks  with  when  he  stands  looking  at  the 
house  he  was  born  in,  "that's  the  Castle,  true  enough;  I'd 
know  her  among  a  thousand.  Lord,  Madison,  what  memo- 
ries she  recalls!  I  took  my  first  voyage  in  her,  and  she's 
carried  me  thirteen  times  to  the  East  Indies  and  back. 
What  capers  have  I  cut  on  her  decks  on  moonlight  nights 
to  the  tune  of  a  fiddle  and  a  guitar!     How  passionately 


152  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

have  I  adored  certain  ladies — both  married  and  single,  alas! 
alas!- — whom  we  have  carried  as  passengers  in  that  tough 
old  sea-chest!  What  gales  have  I  weathered,  what  dinners 
have  I  eaten,  what  friends  have  I  made  in  her!  Old  Pep- 
percorn commands  her  now- — he's  commodore,  and  his 
broad  pennant  would  be  flying  had  she  any  consorts  in 
sight.  Why,  see,  Madison!  she  hoists  her  house-flag!  has 
the  old  bucket  got  the  scent  of  me?  Round  go  her  main 
yards!  Surely  nobody  aboard  of  her  has  ever  seen  the 
Tigress  before!" 

He  was  greatly  amazed  until  I  pointed  to  the  house-flag 
I  had  hoisted,  and  then  the  mystery  of  the  Indiaman's 
manoeuvring  was  explained. 

Rakish  and  piratical  as  our  schooner  looked,  the  exhi- 
bition of  Hannay's  flag  at  the  masthead  abundantly  satis- 
fied the  Bombay  Castle,  who,  with  her  mainyards  aback, 
her  courses  festooned  in  the  buntlines,  and  her  bulwarks 
radiant  with  the  red  coats  of  a  small  army  of  soldiers,  lay 
waiting  for  us  to  come  within  hail. 

She  was  one  of  those  amazingly  romantic,  old-fashioned 
ships  which  survive  only  in  the  paintings  of  the  last  cen- 
tury, with  a  sort  of  castellated  stern,  and  a  round  tower  for 
a  poop,  and  two  tiers  of  guns  (half  of  the  lower  tier  "  quak- 
ers"),  a  low-pitched  forecastle  terminating  in  bows  absurdly 
complicated  with  huge  beams  of  decorative  timber,  out  of 
which  forked  at  an  angle  of  about  thirty-five  degrees  an 
immense  bowsprit  and  jibboom,  rigged  with  a  couple  of 
spritsail  yards,  so  that  they  resembled  a,  fourth  mast  that 
had  fetched  awray,  and  was  suffered  to  lie  in  the  position  in 
which  it  had  fallen.  The  sight  of  her  took  one  back  to  the 
days  of  Anson;  yet,  as  she  lay  in  the  mellow  afternoon 
light,  with  her  sails  swelling  into  the  blue  heavens,  and 
the  line  of  redcoats  topping  the  white  hammock-cloths, 
and  the  sunlight  flashing  in  her  windows,  while  the  green 
waters  broke  in  foam  against  her  tall  sides  without  stirring 
the  ponderous  hull,  and  her  scarlet  flags  soared  at  the  peak 
and  main  like  tongues  of  flame  breaking  from  those  delicate 
points,  she  made  a  picture  that  even  the  rudest  and  most 
ignorant  of  our  crew  stood  staring  at  with  admiration. 

As  we  rounded  to,  Shelvocke,  who  was  on  the  bulwarks 
holding  on  to  a  backstay,  was  recognized  by  a  silver-haired, 


AN  OLD  FRIEND.  153 

gray-iaced  old  sea-dog — a  real  ancient  in  a  broad-skirted 
George  the  Second  style  of  coat,  that  forked  out  all  around 
him  as  though  expanded  by  a  hoop,  and  long  boots  over 
jean  tights,  and  a  frill  that  stuck  out  of  his  bosom  like  the 
back  of  a  perch,  who  bawled  out  to  him  in  a  cracked  old 
pipe: 

"  Glad  to  see  ye,  Shelvocke;  come  aboard!  come  aboard! 
plenty  of  traveled  Madeery  left,  my  boy!" 

This  was  old  Captain  Peppercorn,  whom  I  knew  by  sight, 
having  been  aboard  a  ship  he  was  in  command  of  at  Bombay. 
A  number  of  military  officers  and  ladies — some  sweetly 
pretty  faces  among  these  last — stood  around  him,  and  the 
forepart  of  the  vessel  swarmed  with  soldiers  and  sailors. 
Coming  upon  such  a  scene  as  this  suddenly,  amid  the  soli- 
tude of  the  sea,  so  gay  with  color,  and  so  charmingly  human- 
ized by  the  ladies  in  radiant  apparel,  was  like  turning  out 
of  a  dusty  highroad,  and  stumbling  accidentally  upon  a  bril- 
liant garden-party.  Only  darkness  and  music,  and  a  few 
strings  of  colored  lamps,  were  wanted  to  have  made  a  kind 
of  Ranelagh  of  that  Indiaman. 

Shelvocke  ordered  the  gig  to  be  piped  away,  and  asked 
me  to  board  the  old  hooker  with  him. 

"I  only  left  her  t'other  day,"  said  he,  "but  it  seems 
twenty  years  ago  since  I  was  in  her.  Come,  Madison,  we'll 
hear  the  news  and  have  a  look  at  our  old  home." 

I  was  nothing  loth ;  and,  after  diving  into  our  respective 
berths  to  change  our  coats  and  polish  our  faces,  we  jumped 
into  the  gig  and  pulled  aboard  the  Bombay  Castle. 

Old  Peppercorn  stood  at  the  gangway  to  receive  us,  and 
to  our  amazement  immediately  congratulated  Shelvocke  on 
his  victory  over  the  French  corvette. 

"  Why,  how  in  heaven's  name  got  you  that  news,  Pepper- 
corn?" exclaimed  Shelvocke.  "Are  you  outward  or  home- 
ward bound?"     And  he  stared  about  him  as  I  did. 

Peppercorn  had  one  of  those  dry,  powdery  faces  which 
look  as  if  a  gale  of  wind  would  blow  the  whole  of  the  skin 
off  in  a  cloud-dust;  his  widest  grin  never  yielded  a  wrinkle, 
it  was  like  a  miller's  smile;  and  bursting  suddenly  into  an 
uproarious  laugh  over  Shelvocke' s  surprise  that  was  certain- 
ly not  particularly  mirth-provoking,  the  sight  of  his  face 
with  his  mouth  distended  like  the  crumb  of  a  loaf  with  a 


154  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

slice  cut  out  of  it,  and  the  tears  "hopping  down  his  sandy, 
dry,  unfurrowed  skin,  out  of  his  small,  bleared,  pale  eyes, 
was  so  irresistibly  funny,  that  I  burst  into  a  shout  which  I 
was  forced  to  humor  and  give  free  vent  to,  lest  in  my  effort 
to  suppress  it  I  should  make  a  complete  fool  of  myself. 

My  laugh  proved  contagious,  and  Shelvocke  joined  in; 
the  thing  spread;  a  stout  old  major  let  fly  with  a  voice  like 
a  crow;  some  of  the  ladies  hearing  him,  and  seeing  me, 
broke  into  peals  of  laughter;  and  in  a  minute  everybody  on 
board  the  vessel  was  tossing  about  in  uncontrollable  fits  of 
merriment. 

"Lord,  Shelvocke,  man!"  piped  old  Peppercorn,  drying 
his  eyes  on  a  red  cotton  handkerchief  as  big  as  his  main- 
royal,  "  how  you  have  made  me  laugh,  to  be  sure !  I  give 
you  my  honor  I  have  never  laughed  so  heartily  since  I  saw 
Munden  as  Obadiah.  But  come  along  aft!  come  along  aft! 
let  me  introduce  the  captain  of  the  Tigress  to  the  ladies." 

And  hauling  at  Shelvocke  like  a  watchman  carrying  a 
thief  to  prison,  he  dragged  him  up  to  the  passengers,  where 
he  scraped  and  flourished,  and  went  through  the  business 
like  a  dancing-master. 

I  kept  close  alongside,  for  I  wanted  to  hear  how  Pepper- 
corn had  got  to  know  about  our  action  with  the  corvette ; 
but  he  would  first  send  for  wine,  and  ask  a  hundred  ques- 
tions about  Hannay,  and  the  Tigress,  and  home  news,  and 
though  it  was  no  unfamiliar  sight  to  me,  yet  I  found  myself 
watching  with  great  interest  the  faces  of  the  passengers  as 
Shelvocke  told  all  he  could  remember  about  home  affairs, 
and  the  health  of  the  King,  and  what  was  doing  in  the 
House  of  Commons,  and  who  was  dead,  and  so  on.  I  had 
often,  myself,  made  one  of  a  party  of  eager  listeners,  after 
a  year  or  eighteen  months'  absence  from  home,  and  when 
the  gruff  voice  of  the  pilot,  usually  the  first  bearer  of  news 
from  England,  was  as  sweet  as  music  for  the  tidings  con- 
veyed, and  I  could  sympathize  with  the  attentive  faces 
which  thronged  around  Shelvocke.  At  last  a  pleasant-faced, 
well-bred  woman,  thinking  (very  wisely)  that  she  could  get 
more  news  out  of  me  by  asking  a  few  direct  questions  than 
by  listening  to  old  Peppercorn's  diffusive  catechization  of 
Shelvocke,  artfully  drew  me  aside,  and  before  long  I  was 
surrounded  by  a  dozen  ladies,,   among  them  three  of  the 


AN  OLD   FRIEND.  155 

sweetest  girls  I  had  seen  for  many  a  day,  whose  eyes — I 
speak  of  the  whole  of  them — being  all  fixed  on  my  face, 
were  tolerably  disconcerting,  as  may  be  supposed,  of  a  bash- 
ful seaman.  However,  I  did  well  enough  to  please  them, 
though  I  had  never  greater  reason  to  deplore  my  social  ig- 
norance than  when  one  of  the  three  darlings — the  sweetest 
of  the  three,  too,  a  creature  whose  violet  eyes  and  auburn  hair 
filled  my  slumbers  for  several  nights  with  more  dreams  than 
there  are  knots  in  a  log-line— asked  me  if  I  could  tell  her 
whether  Lady  Olivia  (Thingummy — I  forget  the  other  name) 
had  married  again.  Alas!  I  had  never  heard  of  her  lady- 
ship, but  there  was  so  much  agreeable  flattery  in  the  impli- 
cation that  I  might  know,  and  the  Beauty  who  asked  the 
question  conveyed  by  her  tone  so  complete  a  notion  that 
anybody  with  the  least  pretensions  to  breeding  ought  to 
know,  that  I  blushed  to  the  roots  of  my  hair  when  I  looked 
at  her,  and  answered  in  a  faint  voice,  "I  had  not  heard." 

Presently,  seeing  Shelvocke  pull  out  his  watch,  I  bowed 
to  the  ladies  and  joined  my  captain,  and  after  exchanging 
a  few  final  words  with  Peppercorn,  we  jumped  into  the  gig 
and  shoved  off  for  the  schooner.  On  the  way,  Shelvocke, 
who  was  in  high  spirits,  and  repeatedly  waved  his  hat  to 
the  people  we  were  leaving,  who  returned  his  salutation 
with  hat  and  handkerchief,  explained  to  me  how  Pepper- 
corn had  come  to  hear  about  our  action  with  the  corvette. 

He  said  that  a  few  hours  before  the  Bombay  Castle  had 
made  Scilly,  she  sighted  a  shallop  that  was  tossing  upon 
the  water  without  sails  or  oars.  On  coming  up  to  her  they 
discovered  five  men,  who  by  motions  and  gestures  expressed 
great  suffering  and  entreated  to  be  taken  aboard.  They 
proved  to  be  the  survivors  of  the  crew  of  a  French  brig  that 
had  been  fired  into  by  an  English  cruiser  but  had  managed 
to  escape ;  but,  shortly  after  losing  sight  of  the  enemy,  the 
brig  sprung  a  leak  and  filled  so  fast  that  before  the  boats 
could  be  launched,  she  went  down.  Five  of  the  crew  man- 
aged to  reach  the  shallop  that  had  gone  adrift  when  the  ves- 
sel foundered,  righted  her,  and  baled  her  out,  and  they  had 
been  in  her  fifty -five  hours  without  food  or  water,  or  any 
means  of  approaching  the  land,  when  the  Bombay  Castle 
hove  in  sight.  From  them  Peppercorn  had  learned  the  story 
Of  the  Tigress1  action  with  the  corvette,,  and  out  of  grati- 


156  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

tude  to  their  preservers  the  poor  fellows  had  volunteered 
more  news  than  Peppercorn  had  any  interest  in;  one  of 
the  items  being  that  a  convoy  of  sixty-eight  sail,  bound  for 
one  of  the  French  West  India  settlements,  was  to  start 
shortly  from  Brest,  under  the  protection  of  a  line-of -battle- 
ship, two  frigates,  and  four  heavily-armed  privateers. 

It  was  this  piece  of  intelligence  that  had  put  Shelvocke 
in  good  spirits. 

"  The  old  Bombay  Castle  was  always  a  lucky  ship  to 
me!"  he  exclaimed,  "and  this  is  a  bit  of  news  I  am  super- 
stitious enough  to  own  I  would  rather  have  got  from  her 
than  from  any  other  source.  We  have  two  clear  days  to 
run  down  to  Brest  in.  I  shall  give  up  Dartmouth.  Only 
let  that  convoy  get  to  sea,  and  I'll  warrant  the  British 
cruisers  shall  not  bag  our  share  of  the  booty." 

"  And  what  is  going  to  balk  that  charmer  when  once  you 
give  her  the  scent,  captain?"  said  I,  pointing  with  a  glow 
of  pride  to  the  Tigress,  whose  superb  hull,  topped  by  the 
towering  masts,  and  the  folds  of  canvas  tingled  by  the  pink 
light  of  the  setting  sun,  and  the  red  flashing  of  her  copper 
as  the  green  and  loam  crested  surges  rose  and  fell  against 
her  sides,  I  had  never  beheld  in  greater  perfection.  "  That 
hawse-hole  is  like  the  dilated  nostril  of  a  swift  and  power- 
ful beast,  and  the  muzzles  of  those  guns  are  eyes  which 
will  look  five  hundred  Frenchmen  in  the  face  without  wink- 
ing." 

"That's  almost  bad  enough  for  the  House  of  Commons!" 
said  Shelvocke,  laughing.  "  But  bad  as  it  is,  I  can  make 
it  worse,  by  sajnng,  that  if  those  eyes  did  not  wink  when 
they  looked  at  Frenchmen,  I'd  pitch  them  overboard." 

"  So  much  for  poetical  imagery,  captain,  as  the  orator 
said  when  he  ducked  his  pate  to  a  dead  cat  after  a  bril- 
liant metaphor!" 

In  another  minute  we  had  gained  the  deck  of  the  Tigress. 

We  hung  in  the  wind  in  order  to  see  the  Bombay  Castle 
sail  away.  Her  people  knew  we  were  watching  her,  and 
went  to  work  like  boys  under  the  shadow  of  a  birch.  She 
swung  her  mainyards,  and,  having  the  breeze  abeam,  ran 
up  her  studding-sails;  and  when  I  saw  her  reel  over — with 
the  water  dark  with  her  shadow,  and  the  tops  of  the  waves 
crimson  with  the  evening  glory,   and   all  her  passengers 


AN  OLD  FRIEND.  157 

grouped  aft  and  looking  at  us  over  the  taffrail,  while  her 
bulwarks  flickered  with  the  red  line  of  uniforms,  and  the 
churned  water  to  leeward  flashed  with  a  ruddy  tinge  along 
her  depressed  side  that  bristled  with  the  short  black  muz- 
zles of  her  guns — my  heart  went  with  her :  a  hundred  glad 
memories  of  the  life  I  had  spent  in  the  old  frame  rushed 
upon  me.  I  recalled  the  silence  of  the  sleeping  ship  upon 
tropical  seas;  the  thunder  of  the  hurricanes  which  filled 
her  with  groaning  noises,  and  fogged  her  decks  with  flying 
spume;  the  "toasts  of  the  mess-table;  the  lonely  night- 
watches  ;  the  faces  I  had  met  aboard  of  her,  and  had  for- 
gotten until  now;  the  friendships  and  the  enmities  begotten 
in  her — and  I  thought  of  the  fears  and  the  hopes  which 
had  vanished,  the  dreams  which  had  been  dispelled  and 
for  the  extinction  of  which  my  maturer  life  was  thankful, 
and  of  the  unsuspected  things  which  had  come  to  pass. 

Even  that  receding  ship  pointed  a  moral,  and  I  felt  my- 
self the  better  for  letting  my  thoughts  run  loose  upon  her. 

We  waited  until  she  had  got  well  away,  and  then  fired  a 
gun  and  dipped  the  ensign  three  times  to  her — a  piece  of 
maritime  courtesy  that  she  immediately  acknowledged  with 
two  guns  and  her  ensign.  A  few  moments  after  the 
schooner's  head  was  pointing  down  Channel,  and  the  news 
was  whispered  fore  and  aft  that  we  were  bound  for  the 
neighborhood  of  Brest,  and  for  the  wake  of  a  rich  convoy 
that  was  to  cross  the  Atlantic. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE    DROIT    MARITIME. 

To  fetch  the  latitude  we  wanted  to  make  we  had  about  a 
hundred  and  thirty  miles  to  run;  we  had  therefore  much 
more  time  on  our  hands  than  we  needed.  At  least  that 
would  have  been  the  notion,  with  the  breeze  that  was  blow- 
ing when  we  parted  with  the  Bombay  Castle;  but  about  half 
an  hour  before  sunset  the  wind  dropped,  veered  to  the  west, 
and  expired  after  a  few  faint  puffs. 

I  was  below  in  the  cabin,  talking  with  Shelvocke  over  the 
old  ship  we  had  just  left,  and  he  was  laughing  over  Pepper- 
corn and  mimicking  the  way  in  which  that  tough-and-dry 
old  chap  had  bragged  about  his  pluck  in  giving  the  slip  to 
H.M.S.  Gipsy,  that  was  convoying  him  and  five  other  In- 
diamen  home. 

"  As  if  there  was  anything  particularly  heroic  in  a  man 
risking  a  run  without  protection  from  the  latitude  of  St. 
Helena,  with  two  hundred  and  eighty  troops  aboard,  sixty 
seamen,  and  fourteen  long  nine-pounders,  not  to  speak  of 
six  quakers  /"  said  Shelvocke. 

"  He  matches  his  ship  well,"  said  I.  "  His  parched  face 
and  old  brown  scratch  and  flapping  skirts  are  in  perfect 
keeping  with  the  hooker's  mountainous  stern  and  house- 
windows.  Captain  Peppercorn  doesn't  look  like  a  man 
who  will  die  the  usual  death;  he'll  fossilize,  sir :  and  should 
the  old  Bombay  Castle  outlive  him  his  executors  would  do 
well  to  hand  him  over  to  Hannay  &  Co.  as  a  figurehead  for 
the  ship." 

"You  don't  fancy  the  old  fellow  thinks  of  dying,  do 
you?"  exclaimed  Shelvocke,  laughing  heartily ;  "why,  he's 
going  to  be  married  as  soon  as  he  gets  ashore.  The  lady 
was  aboard,  he  told  me,  but  he  wouldn't  point  her  out.  I 
begged  hard  for  a  sight  of  her,  but  he  only  dug  his  elbow 


THE  DROIT  MARITIME.  159 

into  my  ribs,  and  grinned  until  I  thought  his  eyes  were 
quenched  forever.  Imagine  the  rogue  having  the  impudence 
to  get  married !  I  asked  him  what  his  age  was :  he  reflected 
and  answered  that  he  believed  he  was  the  wrong  side  of 
fifty;  'but,'  said  he,  'when  I  was  born  the  registration  of 
children's  ages  was  a  very  imperfect  job,  so  perhaps  I'm 
not  so  old  as  I  suppose.'  Now,  I  knoiv  he  won't  see  his 
seventy-second  year  again.  'Really,  Peppercorn,'  said 
I,  'you  look  wonderfully  young  for  your  age.'  'D'ye  think 
so,  Shelvocke?'  said  he,  in  his  old  cracked  fiddle.  'Ay, 
wonderfully  young;  and  let  me  assure  you,  Peppercorn,' 
said  I,  'it  comforts  me  to  feel  you  are  not  old  enough  to 
firmly  believe  that  your  sweetheart  admires  you  only  for 
your  beauty.  That  solace  is  reserved  until  you  shall  be 
turned  seventy!'  'Ah!  there  is  no  telling  what  I  may  be- 
lieve should  I  live  to  attain  so  great  an  age,'  quavered  the 
old  hypocrite;  but  for  all  that  he  wouldn't  point  me  out 
his  affianced  one.     From  which  I  suspect  she's  a  chicken." 

"Not  one  of  the  three  beauties,  I  hope!"  I  exclaimed; 
and  I  was  about  to  sing  the  praises  of  violet  eyes  and  auburn 
hair,  when  Chestree  thrust  his  ugly  mug  into  the  cabin,  and 
said  that  the  boatswain  wished  to  speak  to  the  captain. 

"  Well,  Mr.  Tiptree,  what  is  it  you  want?"  inquired  Shel- 
vocke of  the  fine,  well-made  fellow  who  stood  at  the  door, 
cap  in  hand,  his  face  shining  like  the  top  of  a  mahogany 
dining-table,  while  drops  of  perspiration,  induced  as  much 
by  nervousness  as  the  heat,  trickled  down  his  cheeks  into  his 
enormous  whiskers,  which  extended  from  under  his  ears  to 
the  corners  of  his  mouth,  and  looked  like  a  couple  of  door- 
mats slung  by  laniards  athwart  his  jowls.  His  silver  pipe 
hung  just  below  the  point  where  his  open  shirt  disclosed  his 
mossy  breast  and  a  throat  whose  massive  and  muscular  pro- 
portions might  have  been  copied  for  a  painting  of  a  Roman 
gladiator.  Over  his  shirt  he  wore  a  short  jacket,  braided  at 
the  sleeves,  and  breasted  with  double  rows  of  cloth  buttons, 
while  he  occasionally  plucked  at  the  band  of  a  pair  of  white 
drill  bags  flowing  down  to  his  small  well-polished  shoes  in 
expanding  folds  like  a  ship's  wake,  that  broadens  the  farther 
it  goes  astern.  He  was,  I  think,  as  perfect  a  type  as  any 
seaman  that  ever  I  met,  of  the  better  class  of  the  mariners 
of  that  age,  alert  as  a  cat,  tough  as  a  spar  of  upland  spruce, 


160  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

fearless  less  from  native  resolution  and  force  of  character 
than  from  what  I  have  sometimes  thought  an  instinctive  in- 
difference to  death,  extremely  fond  of  rum,  capable  of  doing 
the  work  of  five  men  at  a  pinch,  and  hating  the  French  like 
poison. 

"  If  you  please,  sir, "  said  he,  going  through  various  pre- 
liminary manoeuvres  in  the  shape  of  shifting  his  quid  oat  of 
one  cheek  into  another,  tricing  up  his  trousers,  looking 
iuto  the  bottom  of  his  cap,  and  wiping  his  heated  forehead 
on  the  sleeve  of  his  jacket,  "  the  men  have  begged  me  for  to 
come,  Captain  Shelvocke,  to  ask  if  your  honor  'ud  object  to 
their  having  a  bit  o'  toe  and  heelin'  forrard — a  kind  o'  all- 
round  tom-foolin'.     They  can  muster  two  wiolins,  sir." 

"  Why  not  put  your  real  question  straight,  and  ask  for  a 
can  of  grog  to  shove  some  spring  into  the  fellows'  toes? 
You  know  that  is  what  the  crew  mean,"  said  Shelvocke 
good-naturedly,  Tiptree  being  a  great  favorite  of  his. 
"How's  the  weather?" 

"Quiet  as  the  bottom  of  a  well,  sir,"  answered  Tiptree, 
grinning  broadly,  and  not  without  an  expression  of  admi- 
ration at  the  skipper's  sharpness. 

"  Well,  you  may  tell  the  steward  to  serve  out  a  glass  of 
grog  to  each  man,  and  as  it  will  be  getting  dark  soon,  you 
can  get  the  lanterns  ready  for  slinging.  See  that  the  humor 
don't  get  too  boisterous,  Tiptree." 

"Ay,  ay,  sir;"  and  evidently  much  gratified  by  the  quick 
success  of  his  errand,  the  boatswain  withdrew. 

"  It's  just  this  sort  of  sympathy  with  the  crew  that  makes 
Tiptree  the  valuable  fellow  he  is,"  said  Shelvocke;  "  there's 
not  a  man  aboard  that  wouldn't  risk  his  neck  to  serve  him. 
You  had  better  get  on  deck,  Mr.  Madison,  that  your  presence 
may  stop  any  excessive  horseplay ;  and  let  the  mates  keep 
a  bright  lookout  around,  for  it  won't  do  for  an  enemy's  ship 
to  bowl  down  upon  us  with  a  breeze,  and  find  us  dancing." 

The  sun  was  half  immersed  when  I  reached  the  deck,  and 
I  stood  a  few  moments  watching  the  glorious  sight,  and 
thinking  that  if  ever  a  glimpse  of  the  Paradise  of  Christians 
— "  and  the  building  of  the  wall  it  was  of  jasper,  and  the 
city  was  pure  gold,  like  unto  clear  glass" — is  obtained  by 
us  dwellers  on  earth,  it  is  when  the  semi-sunken  sun  flashes 
upon  the  western  sky  a  thousand  heavenly  hues — ruby  and 


THE  DROIT  MARITIME.  161 

amethyst,  and  opal  and  pearl,  and  violet,  with  the  soft  melt- 
ing of  the  warm  orange  into  the  pale  amber — when  the  hover- 
ing clouds  make  a  vista  of  golden-edged  porches  which  pro- 
voke the  eye  into  searching  through  them  the  infinite  depths 
beyond,  whose  light  is  "like  unto  a  stone  most  precious, 
even  like  a  jasper  stone,  clear  as  crystal" — when  the  blind- 
ing glory  upon  the  sea  appears  rather  the  reflection  of  the 
opening  Paradise  in  that  mirror  of  Eternity,  the  Deep,  than 
the  flashing  of  a  luminary  upon  water.  Such  a  sunset  I 
was  now  witnessing,  and  I  stood  fascinated  by  its  magnifi- 
cence, watching  the  upper  limb  of  the  sun  growing  smaller 
and  smaller  until  but  a  tiny  fragment  of  it  glowed  upon  the 
polished  water-line,  like  a  red-hot  cinder,  while  the  radiant 
reflection  shortened  as  though  a  band  of  bright  gold  were 
being  drawn  away  from  us  along  the  water,  until  the  last 
spark  vanished,  and  the  colors  began  to  fade. 

"Beautiful!"  I  exclaimed,  unconsciously  speaking  aloud. 

"Beautiful  indeed,  sir!"  echoed  a  melodious  voice  at  my 
side ;  "  who  can  look  at  such  a  sight  as  that  and  believe  that 
the  bright  home  beyond  the  skies  that  has  been  promised  to 
men  is  a  superstitious  fancy?" 

"Why,  Mr.  Peacock,"  said  I,  struck  by  the  peculiar 
melancholy  in  his  large  dark  eyes,  "  it  is  strange  that  you 
should  put  my  very  identical  musings  into  words.  But  I 
suppose  the  thoughts  bred  in  you  and  me  by  that  sunset  are 
not  peculiar  to  us  two.  What  makes  you  even  suggest  that 
heaven  may  be  a  superstitious  fancy?  The  most  generous 
and  the  best  faiths  a  man  has  belong  to  his  boyhood,  and 
though  you  are  no  longer  a  boy  in  years,  let  me  advise  you 
to  remain  a  boy  in  religion.  You  may  take  the  word  of 
wiser  men  than  I  that  you  will  want  more  brains  than  yours 
or  any  mortal  skull  is  likely  to  hold  to  improve  upon  your 
mother's  creed." 

"My  mother  was  a  Catholic,  sir,"  he  replied,  as  though 
he  fancied  that  would  rather  confound  my  reckoning. 

"And  what  of  that?  I  hope  you  are  not  ashamed  of  your 
mother's  faith?" 

A  dark  blush  came  into  his  face,  and  a  dangerous  devil 

into  his  eyes.     I  once  saw  such  a  look  in  a  very  handsome 

young  Spanish  captive  who  was  being  twitted  by  an  ill-bred 

English  officer  for  wearing  a  silver  crucifix  under  his  shirt. 

11 


162  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

"I  am  ashamed  of  it,  if  I  must  speak  the  truth,"  he  ex- 
claimed. "I  am  ashamed  of  having  been  born  a  Catholic, 
though  I  am  a  stanch  Protestant  now,  sir.  Perhaps  you 
may  be  a  Catholic,  Mr.  Madison,  but  I  shall  not  apologize 

for  what  I  have  said;  I  hate "     He  seemed  about  to 

deliver  some  mighty  violent  sentence,  but  checked  himself, 
touched  his  cap  and  walked  over  to  the  gangway,  where  he 
stood  watching  the  movements  of  the  men,  apparently  with 
great  interest. 

I  thought  all  this  very  curious,  and  it  was  more  so  to  my 
mind  that  I  can  well  make  clear  by  the  significance  imparted 
to  every  word  and  look  of  the  youth  by  his  beauty,  his  melo- 
dious voice,  and  the  refinement  and  breeding  that  were  ex- 
hibited in  his  person  and  manners. 

The  steward  was  on  the  main  deck  serving  out  a  gill  of 
rum  to  each  of  the  crew  from  a  huge  can  filled  with  the 
dark  liquor,  and  it  would,  at  any  other  time,  have  amused 
me  to  watch  the  men  coming  up  with  grave  faces,  some  of 
them  tipping  down  the  grog  raw  from  the  steward's  pewter 
measure,  but  most  of  them  carrying  the  dose  forward  in  tin 
pannikins,  while  those  who  had  been  already  served  were 
busy  in  clearing  up  the  decks,  slinging  the  lanterns  for 
lighting,  and  making  ready  for  the  dancing.  But  my  mind 
was  full  of  young  Peacock,  and  knowing  that  Chestree  had 
been  shipmate  with  him  in  one  voyage,  if  not  two,  and  observ- 
ing that  worthy  standing  near  the  launch  gaping  around  the 
sea,  with  his  cap  at  the  back  of  his  head,  and  his  immense 
mouth  open,  like  a  newly  landed  fish,  to  catch  every  draught 
of  air  from  the  occasional  gentle  flap  of  the  mainsail,  I  went 
up  to  him,  and  broke  ground  by  telling  him  not  to  attend 
to  the  dancing,  but  to  help  me  to  watch  for  any  wind  that 
might  come,  and  for  any  sail  it  might  bring  along  with  it. 

"I  doubt  if  there'll  be  any  wind  this  side  of  midnight, 
sir,"  he  answered;  "but  let  it  come  when  it  will,  I'll  re- 
port it  fast  enough  if  I'm  on  deck." 

"I've  just  been  having  a  little  talk  with  Peacock,"  said 
I; — "now  don't  stare  at  him,  Chestree — and  I  have  been 
rather  surprised  by  a  smart  exhibition  of  prejudice.  How 
comes  a  young  fellow  like  him,  who  has  been  half  his  life 
at  sea,  to  be  troubled  with  'longshore  antipathies  of  any 
kind?    Who  is  he?  or  rather,  what  was  he — do  you  know?" 


THE  DROIT  MARITIME.  163 

Here  I  thought,  but  it  might  have  been  my  fancy,  that 
Chestree  grew  grave ;  but  it  was  difficult  to  interpret  the 
thoughts  of  a  man  from  a  face  that,  in  consequence  of  the 
heat,  was  nearly  all  mouth. 

"  Why,  sir,  all  that  I  know  of  Peacock  is,"  he  answered, 
"that  he's  a  love  child.  Who  his  mother  was  I  can't  say; 
but  she  wasn't  English.  I  remember  a  big  apprentice 
aboard  the  Fattysalam  smoking  the  poor  little  chap — he 
was  a  little  chap  then,  sir  —  and  asking  him  what  port  his 
mother  hailed  from,  and  if  his  father  knew  he  was  out, 
until  all  on  a  sudden  the  boy  seized  a  knife  and  sprang  upon 
the  bully ;  just  as  in  Bombay  once  I  saw  a  little  slip  of  a 
Hindoo  Shylock  fly  at  an  Englishman,  and  catch  his  throat 
in  his  teeth,  and  hold  in  that  way  until  he  was  dragged  off 
with  a  pound  of  bleeding  flesh  between  his  lips.  The  ap- 
prentice roared  murder,  and  fell  sprawling  on  his  back,  and 
that  saved  his  life,  for  young  Peacock  was  seized  with  the 
knife  poised  ready  for  the  heart  of  the  brute  who  had  goaded 
him.  I  think  little  Peacock  was  raving  mad  for  some  min- 
utes, but  his  treatment  of  the  apprentice  shut  up  all  jokes 
after  that.  How  we  got  to  know  he  was  a  natural  child, 
and  that  his  mother  wasn't  English,  I  am  sure  I  can't  say. 
It's  astonishing  what  lots  of  things,  which  one  can't  ever 
remember  particularly  hearing,  are  known  to  one!" 

At  this  point  a  fellow,  seated  like  a  tailor  on  the  drum  of 
the  forecastle-capstan,  began  to  scrape  a  fiddle,  and  I  crossed 
the  deck  to  see  if  the  steward  had  finished  serving  out  the 
grog  to  the  men. 

It  was  not  yet  quite  dark,  but  the  twilight  obscured  the 
schooner,  and  the  horizon  of  the  sea  was  a  dark,  dream-like 
shadow ;  but  the  night  was  very  calm  and  lovely,  with  ^ 
new  moon  in  the  west  that  cast  a  faint  trickle  of  silver  upon 
the  sea,  and  a  heaven  overhead  and  in  the  east  crowded 
with  stars,  and  meteors  which  glided  like  illuminated  bomb- 
shells through  the  air,  and  vanished  in  little  puffs  of  bright 
smoke. 

However,  the  mystery  and  beauty  of  this  "  visible  dark- 
ness" were  speedily  put  to  flight  by  the  men  lighting  the 
lanterns,  and  presently  the  deck  was  all  aglow  with  the 
radiance  of  threescore  candles,  and  it  was  a  pretty  sight  to 
see  the  light  flickering  upon  the  small-arms  in  the  racks, 


164  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

and  in  the  brass  garnishings  of  the  pumps,  and  giving  a 
yellow  color  to  the  shrouds  for  about  the  height  of  a  man 
above  the  bulwarks.  This  dance  by  lantern-light  was  a 
very  unusual  departure  from  the  customary  order  of  sailors' 
festivities,  which  are  nearly  always  celebrated  in  the  dog- 
watches; but  the  novelty  of  it  gave  it  nearly  all  its  relish. 
The  two  fiddlers  proved  very  tolerable  scrapers,  and  made 
the  air  resonant  with  their  miaulings;  one  sat,  as  I  have 
said,  on  the  forecastle-capstan,  and  the  other  atop  of  the 
galley;  they  played  the  same  airs,  kept  good  time,  soon 
worked  themselves  into  a  fever  of  excitement,  and  their 
elbows  quivered  like  the  reflection  of  a  stationary  fish  under 
a  running  stream,  while  the  crew  hopped  and  sprang  about 
in  all  directions  in  couples,  making  the  deck  boom  under 
their  shuffling  and  toeing  and  scraping,  laughing  uproari- 
ously the  while. 

One  really  good  dance  was  a  hornpipe  performed  by  four 
men,  who  had  rigged  themselves  out  in  regular  theatrical- 
Jack  fashion — flowing  breeches,  open  breasts,  jackets  round- 
ing over  their  quarters  like  the  foot  of  a  tautly  set  topsail, 
hats  on  nine  hairs,  as  they  say,  and  shoes  with  heels  which 
they  rattled  like  castanets.  Their  messmates  knew  their 
jigging  qualities  and  stopped  their  own  dancing  to  gather 
in  a  crowd,  leaving  an  opening  so  that  we  quarter-deck 
people  might  see.  The  capstan  fiddler  scrambled  alongside 
his  brother-scraper  on  the  galley  that  the  music  might  be 
concentrated;  but  finding  the  four  men  waiting  and  all 
hands  looking  aft,  I  suspected  the  reason  of  the  delay,  and 
went  below  to  tell  Shelvocke  that  the  crew  wanted  him  to 
witness  the  hornpipe.  He  came  on  deck  at  once,  and  drew 
close  to  the  crowd,  who  raised  a  cheer  when  they  saw  him 
that  immediately  started  the  fiddlers,  and  in  a  moment  the 
four  sailors  were  quivering  about  in  a  fashion  that  set  me 
shouting  out  of  hand,  and  I  never  stopped  laughing  until 
the  rascals  ended  their  fooling.  It  was  the  best  bit  of 
dancing  that  ever  I  saw,  and  the  gravity  of  the  fellows  con- 
trasting with  the  crowd  of  grinning  faces  around  and  the 
shouts  of  mirth  which  broke  forth,  would  have  made  a  saint 
split  his  sides. 

I  have  seen  many  landsmen,  actors  and  others,  attempt 
the  hornpipe,  and  some  have  danced  it  very  well  indeed; 


THE  DROIT  MARITIME.  165 

but  the  landsman  never  yet  was  born  that  could  give  the 
real  sailor's  shuffle  in  that  dance — the  swing  and  bend  of 
the  legs,  as  if  the  flowing  breeches  covered  a  pair  of  springs 
— the  whirring  and  twinkling  of  the  toes — the  flashing  of 
the  feet  as  though,  like  those  of  the  god  Mercury,  wings 
grew  at  the  heels.  The  landsman  dances  the  hornpipe  with 
his  head,  body,  and  arms,  as  well  as  his  legs ;  but  when  Jack 
dances,  only  the  lower  part  of  him  is  concerned — from  the 
band  of  his  breeches  up  he  might  as  well  be  a  torso  mounted 
upon  a  pair  of  human  shanks. 

The  four  Tigresses  trod  the  deck  to  perfection :  with  their 
arms  hanging  like  dead  limbs  down  their  hips,  the  fingers 
of  their  horny  hands  partially  curled  as  though  they  still 
grasped  a  rope,  their  heads  so  steady  that  not  so  much  as  a 
streak  of  hair  was  tossed  over  their  foreheads,  their  faces  as 
immovable  as  carved  wood,  they  formed  into  a  line,  sepa- 
rated, danced  at  each  other,  then  back  to  back,  then  face 
to  face,  then  in  a  circle,  then  sideways,  their  heels  keeping 
time  to  the  fiddles  like  a  band  of  drummers,  while  shout 
after  shout  of  applause  broke  from  their  admiring  ship- 
mates, and  Shelvocke  clapped  his  hands  like  a  boy  at  a 
pantomime. 

The  four  harmonious  figures ;  the  swarm  of  excited  faces, 
all  of  one  color  in  the  lantern-light ;  the  foreground  full  of 
the  grim  details  of  heavy  guns,  and  the  huge  mainmast 
soaring  into  the  darkness;  the  two  fiddlers  in  shadow  saw- 
ing at  the  catgut  and  rocking  in  their  seats  and  threatening 
every  moment  in  their  excitement  to  plump  over  the  side  of 
the  galley  into  the  crowd ;  the  silver  horn  of  moon  in  the 
west;  the  sparkling  sky  overhead,  and  the  lonely  leagues  of 
water  lying  as  breathless  as  a  lake  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
pierce — formed  a  beautiful  and  impressive  picture. 

This  harmless  revelry  lasted  until  half-past  nine;  and 
then  tired  and  hot,  but  all  in  as  high  good-humor  as  if  they 
had  been  spending  a  merry  time  at  Greenwich  fair  with 
their  Sukeys  and  Polls,  the  sailors  one  by  one  drew  away 
to  their  hammocks  for  a  quiet  smoke,  the  fiddlers  came 
down  from  the  top  of  the  galley,  the  lanterns  were  extin- 
guished, and  by  ten  o'clock  the  schooner  lay  wrapped  in 
silence  and  darkness,  with  nothing  moving  aboard  of  her 
but  the  figures  of  the  lookout  men  or  the  shadow  of  the 


106  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

great  mainboom,  as  the  occasional  roll  of  the  vessel  swayed 
the  ponderous  spar  athwart  the  luminous  haze  around  the 
skylight. 

It  was  my  watch  on  deck,  and,  missing  Shelvocke,  I  sup- 
posed he  had  turned  in;  and  so  I  paced  to  and  fro  with 
Tapping,  who,  despite  the  pugnacious  pose  in  which  nature 
had  cast  his  figure  and  face,  was  an  exceedingly  good-tem- 
pered and  agreeable  fellow,  and,  so  far  as  I  had  opportu- 
nities of  judging,  an  intelligent  seaman  and  full  of  sterling 
pluck.  Young  as  he  was,  he  had  seen  some  strange  things 
in  his  time — but  what  sailor  had  not  in  that  age  of  adven- 
ture and  fighting? — and  was  interesting  me  with  an  account 
of  a  mutiny,  which,  by  the  way,  he  was  relating  with  real 
dramatic  power,  when  he  suddenly  broke  off,  and  went  to 
the  gangway,  and,  on  looking  around,  I  perceived  the  glow- 
ing tip  of  a  cigar  near  the  figure  of  the  man  at  the  tiller. 

"The  cabin  is  like  a  bakehouse!"  exclaimed  Shelvocke, 
whom  I  had  approached  on  seeing.  "  How  the  deuce  Ches- 
tree  can  sleep,  I  don't  know;  but  that  he  is  sleeping  you 
can  hear." 

And  certainly  a  most  horrible  sound  of  snoring  came 
up  through  the  skylight.  The  fellow  who  was  steering 
smothered  a  laugh. 

"  It's  like  a  church  organ  with  something  wrong  in  its  in- 
side,"  I  said,  almost  awed  by  a  snore  that  could  pierce 
through  a  stout  bulkhead  and  be  audible  so  far  aft  as 
where  we  stood. 

"  This  won't  do,  Madison, "  said  Shelvocke,  looking  around 
him  at  the  darkly  pure  space  of  water  that  was  only  deter- 
minable from  the  sky  by  the  long,  tremulous  white  flakes  of 
light  which  the  stars  shed  upon  it.  "  If  this  calm  lasts  we 
shall  have  to  give  up  our  Brest  scheme." 

"  I  hope  not,  captain.  It's  about  time  to  do  something 
again.  There  was  a  heap  of  luck  in  the  first  few  hours  of 
our  cruise,  and  if,  as  the  French  say,  it's  only  the  first  step 
that  costs,  the  rest  of  our  work  ought  not  to  make  us 
grumblers." 

He  quitted  the  spot  where  we  had  been  standing,  prob- 
ably not  wishing  the  man  at  the  helm  to  hear  us,  and  we 
leisurely  patrolled  the  deck.  Hearing  Chestree  snore  as 
we  passed  the  skylight  somehow  brought  young  Peacock 


THE  DROIT  MARITIME.  167 

into  my  head,  probably  because  the  lad  was  in  the  second 
officer's  watch. 

"What  a  very  strange  youth  our  fourth  male  is,  sir," 
said  I. 

"Young  Philip  Peacock,  do  you  mean?"  he  answered 
quickly.  "In  what  way  strange?  What  has  he  been 
doing?" 

"Why,  nothing,  sir;  I  judge  him  by  his  talk — though,  to 
be  sure,  he  gave  me  little  enough  of  that  to  go  by.  I  hap- 
pened to  say  that  a  man  can  never  do  better  than  stick  to 
the  religion  his  mother  believed  in,  and  he  whipped  out 
against  the  Roman  Catholic  faith  so  passionately,  with  so 
much  fire  in  his  eyes,  that  I  was  honestly  surprised." 

Shelvocke  remained  silent. 

"  It  seems  queer  that  a  young  fellow  like  him,  who  has 
«-pent  all  his  life  at  sea,  should  have  shore-going  prejudices 
jf  that  kind.     I  suppose  you  know  his  history,  sir?" 

He  still  kept  silence. 

"  I  asked  Chestree,  who  was  shipmate  with  him  in  an  In- 
oiaman,"  continued  I,  "who  he  was,  and  he  told  me  that 
ail  he  knew  was  that  Peacock  was  a  love-child." 

"Chestree  knows  that,  does  he?"  said  Shelvocke  coldly, 
after  two  or  three  hard  pulls  at  his  cigar.  "  Has  he  spoken 
to  Peacock  about  it?" 

"No,  sir,  nor  is  it  likely  he  would." 

"  He  nad  better  not.  Be  good  enough,  Madison,  to  tell 
him  from  me  he  had  better  not.'''' 

"  Chestree  has  too  good  a  heart  to  stand  in  need  of  such  an 
injunction,  sir;  but  of  course  I  will  tell  him,  since  it  is  your 
order. " 

"  How  comes  a  circumstance  that  concerns  no  living  crea- 
ture but  Mr.  Peacock  to  be  known  to  a  man  like  Chestree?" 
exclaimed  Shelvocke  in  a  tone  of  deep  annoyance  that  he 
strove  ineffectually  to  disguise.  "Nevertheless,"  added 
he,  softening  his  voice,  "  it  is  true  enough,  Mr.  Madison, 
though  the  boy  is  a  fool  to  allow  his  sensitiveness  to  chal- 
lenge curiosity,  as  he  appears  to  have  done  in  your  case. 
Of  course  I  do  not  suppose  there  is  the  least  unworthiness 
in  the  interest  Peacock  appears  to  have  excited  in  you." 

"  I  should  be  sorry  if  you  thought  there  was,  sir.  I  have 
all  along  been  attracted  by  the  lad's  beauty  and  refined 


168  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

manners,  but  I  never  should  have  dreamt  of  inquiring  about 
him  had  not  his  sudden  burst  of  temper  on  a  subject  that 
on  would  have  supposed  a  young  sailor  like  him  would  nut 
trouble  his  brains  about  induced  me  to  speak  to  Chestree. 
However,  I  shall  be  glad  of  your  permission  to  change 
the  subject." 

"Nay,"  answered  he,  with  some  of  his  old  good-nature 
in  his  voice,  "as  he  excites  your  interest  there  can  be  no 
harm  in  my  telling  you  what  I  know  of  his  story.  His 
mother  was  an  Italian,  and  a  remarkable  beautiful  woman. 
An  Englishman,  who  was  staying  at  Cantanzaro,  where  she 
lived  with  her  mother,  fell  in  love  with  her,  and  they  secret- 
ly betrothed  themselves.  The  priests  got  hold  of  the  mother, 
and  they  went  to  work  to  separate  the  girl  from  a  heathen 
who  did  not  attend  mass;  but  their  efforts,  of  course, 
only  served  to  deepen  the  girl's  affection  for  the  man,  and 
so  they  had  him  poniarded — but,  malheureusement  pour 
mademoiselle,  not  killed.  He  was  in  bed  a  month,  and  his 
nurse  was  his  sweetheart,  who  left  her  mother's  home  to  be 
with  him.  Our  true  Briton  requited  the  girl's  admiration 
by  ruining  her.  He  promised  her  marriage,  but  suspecting, 
I  suppose,  that  he  could  get  on  very  well  without  marriage, 
he  never  kept  his  promise.  There  is  a  romantic  story  of 
the  girl  wasting  away  and  breaking  her  heart  over  our  faith- 
less hero,  and  dying  amid  the  fogs  of  London,  whither  the 
Englishman  had  carried  her.  More  likely  she  died  of 
bronchitis  or  lung-inflammation :  but  those  are  not  diseases 
to  adorn  a  tale  with.  At  all  events,  she  died — but  not 
having  your  curiosity,  or,  to  put  it  more  humanely,  not 
finding  the  lad  so  fascinating  as  he  appears  to  be  to  you, 
though  I  took  great  interest  in  him  when  he  was  brought 
to  me  to  be  apprenticed  to  a  maritime  friend  of  mine,  I 
asked  very  few  questions." 

It  was  my  turn  now  to  be  silent. 

"  So  there!"  he  exclaimed,  with  a  rather  unpleasant  laugh, 
"you  have  as  much  of  Peacock's  story  as  I  can  give  you. 
But  what  on  earth  there  can  be  about  a  youth  like  that  to 
excite  the  curiosity  of  an  old  stager  like  you,  you  must 
really  forgive  me  for  not  being  able  to  see.  However,  you 
can  guess  now  why  the  boy  bounced  out  about  the  Roman  . 
Catholic  religion." 


THE   DROIT  MARITIME.  169 

"  Because  the  priests  had  a  hand  in  the  stabbing  of  his 
father,  I  suppose." 

"No/"  he  answered,  with  impetuous  emphasis;  "because 
he  hates  his  mother's  memory  and  everything  belonging  to 
her— like  all  natural  children." 

"Like  all  unnatural  children,  I  should  say,  captain." 

"It  is  no  business  of  mine  nor  of  any  other  person's,"  he 
replied,  throwing  the  end  of  his  cigar  overboard ;  "  and  so 
you  will  oblige  me  by  requesting  Mr.  Chestree  not  to  talk 
about  Mr.  Peacock.  The  boy  is  under  my  care,  and  I'll 
not  have  him  pained." 

Tired  of  the  subject  and  regretting  my  folly  for  having 
started  it,  I  went  to  the  side  to  look  into  the  north,  where  a 
haze  was  gathering,  and  felt  a  little  draught  of  air  upon  my 
hot  face.  It  filled  the  lighter  canvas,  and  a  shower  of  dew 
fell  from  the  cloths.  It  died  away,  but  a  few  minutes  after 
a  stronger  breeze  frosted  the  sea  with  broken  starlight,  the 
sails  grew  steady,  and  the  ear  was  refreshed  by  the  bubbling 
of  rippling  water  along  the  sides  of  the  schooner.  I  called 
to  the  watch  to  trim  sail,  and  by  the  time  this  was  done  the 
schooner  s  masts  were  sloping  to  a  pleasant  wind,  and  a  line 
of  froth  was  whitening  the  black  surface  of  the  sea  astern. 
Before  eight  bells  were  struck  it  had  breezed  up  into  a  fresh 
wind  with  clouds  sailing  across  the  stars;  and  when  I  left 
the  deck,  the  Tigress  was  smoking  along  the  quick,  short 
surges  with  a  single  reef  in  her  mainsail  and  foresail,  and 
the  decks  forward  black  with  the  flying  spray. 

At  daybreak,  however,  as  the  deuce  would  have  it,  the 
wind  dropped  again  into  mere  light  currents  of  air,  and  a 
hot  and  dazzling  morning  threatened  to  dry  up  the  small 
breeze  that  remained,  and  leave  us  roasting  on  a  surface  of 
glass. 

This  was  extremely  disappointing,  for  putting  aside  our 
chance  of  fetching  Brest  in  time  to  catch  the  skirts  of  the 
outward-bound  convoy,  this  stagnant  weather  was  holding 
everything  that  swam  upon  the  surface  of  the  sea  idle. 
While  the  water-line  was  as  polished  as  the  edge  of  a  worn 
shilling,  there  was  nothing  to  watch  for  nor  to  hope  for. 

The  calm,  coupled  with  the  heat,  made  us  all  surly.  For- 
ward the  men  were  grumbling  in  their  gizzards  and  whis- 
tling through  their  teeth  as  they  hung  over  the  bows,  and 


170  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

we  of  the  after-part  of  the_  vessel  could  scarcely  have  been 
more  dogged  had  we  passed  the  night  in  arguing  on  religion. 
Shelvocke  was  particularly  meditative,  and  sat  smoking 
cigars  the  whole  morning,  with  a  broad-brimmed  straw  hat 
over  his  nose,  and  his  feet  on  the  skylight.  He  had  a  book 
on  his  knee,  though  he  seldom  glanced  at  it ;  but  from  a 
sheltered  spot  in  the  waist  where  I  had  hidden  myself  to 
smoke  a  pipe,  I  noticed  that  he  constantly  followed  Pea- 
cock about  with  his  eyes. 

However,  by  dinner-time  our  tempers  had  been  improved 
by  a  pleasant  little  wind  that  hit  the  schooner's  best  sailing 
point,  and  sent  her  cheeping  through  the  water  with  rounded 
sails  and  breezy  decks.  Added  to  this  was  the  cordializing 
influence  of  the  wine.  Shelvocke  shed  his  scales,  and 
"  stood  confest"  the  blunt  and  genial  sailor  nature  had  made 
him.  Corney  was  of  our  party,  and  favored  us,  for  the  first 
time,  with  an  astonishingly  clever  imitation  of  two  French- 
men quarreling.  We  quitted  the  table  more  amiable  if  not 
wiser  men,  and  the  sight  of  the  waters  playing  to  windward 
in  quick  glancings  of  froth,  as  though  shoals  of  mackerel 
leaped  from  the  cool  green  into  the  sunshine,  sustained  our 
good  temper  by  making  us  hopeful. 

Shortly  after  we  had  come  on  deck,  Shelvocke  walked  up 
to  me,  and  said  in  a  low  but  pleasant  voice: 

"  I  forgot  to  ask  you,  Madison,  if  you  spoke  to  Chestree 
about  Peacock,  as  I  requested." 

"I  did,  sir,  last  night." 

"All  right,"  he  answered,  and  went  away,  much  to  my 
relief,  as  I  was  afraid  he  would  pursue  the  subject. 

Half-past  three  had  just  been  struck  on  the  silver-clear 
bell  we  carried  on  the  main-deck.  I  was  standing  on  a 
gun-carriage  looking  over  the  side  at  the  passing  water. 
The  soft  creaming  of  the  foam,  as  it  raced  past  with  its 
outer  edge  sparkling  blue  and  green  and  yellow  in  the  sun- 
shine, like  diamonds  strewn  upon  snow,  and  beautifully  de- 
fined by  the  luminous  emerald  hue  of  the  water  beyond, 
mingled  with  the  tinkling  of  large  bubbles  as  they  exploded, 
and  the  cool  splashing  of  the  polished  arch  of  water  curl- 
ing from  the  stem,  fell  with  a  delicious  refreshment  upon 
the  senses;  and  the  rich  warm  wind  pouring  out  of  the 
mainsail  swept  past  the  ear  with  a  mixture  of  vibratory 


THE  DROIT  MARITIME.  171 

sounds  which  seemed  like  the  notes  of  a  far-off  band  of 
music. 

Whenever  the  schooner  had  way  on  her,  it  was  always 
our  custom  to  have  a  hand  stationed  aloft  on  one  of  the 
fore-yards.  This  lookout  startled  me  from  a  deep  reverie 
•I  had  fallen  into  by  hailing  the  deck. 

"Hallo!"  I  exclaimed. 

"A  sail  on  the  port  bow,  sir!"  he  sang  out. 

"  Can  you  make  out  which  way  she  is  standing?" 

He  shaded  his  eyes  and  had  a  long  look,  and  answered 
that  he  believed  she  was  heading  our  way. 

"You  had  better  take  the  glass  aloft,  Mr.  Madison,"  said 
Shelvocke. 

I  did  as  I  was  ordered,  and  presently  found  myself  along- 
side the  lookout  on  the  topgallant-yard.  The  sail  was  per- 
fectly visible  from  this  great  elevation,  and  on  examining 
her  through  the  glass  I  made  her  out  to  be  a  large  three- 
masted  lugger,  but  her  hull  was  still  below  the  horizon.  I 
called  out  to  Shelvocke  to  let  him  know  what  her  rig  was, 
and  added  that  I  would  stay  aloft  until  I  could  command  a 
better  view  of  her. 

"  She  should  be  a  lumping  boat,  to  judge  by  the  size  of 
her  mainsail,"  said  I  to  the  man  at  my  side — a  fellow  of 
the  name  of  Wilkinson,  one  of  the  smartest  men  in  my 
watch,  so  tanned  by  long  exposure  to  the  sun  that  his  face 
looked  as  if  it  had  been  painted  with  iodine,  and  who  sat 
on  the  yard  (the  sail  of  which  was  furled)  with  his  legs 
dangling  down  before  it,  and  his  hands  buried  in  his 
breeches-pockets,  and  taking  his  ease  on  this  eminence  of  a 
hundred  and  thirty  feet  above  the  sea-level  as  coolly  as  a 
landsman  in  an  armchair.  "  But  she  has  only  her  main- 
sail set.  I  can't  make  out  what  she  would  be  at.  She 
looks  to  be  hove  right  up  in  the  wind's  eye." 

"She'll  crack  on  sail  when  she  sees  us,  sir — leastways  if 
she  is  a  Frenchman,"  said  the  man,  politely  covering  the 
weather  side  of  his  mouth  with  his  hand  while  he  discharged 
some  tobacco-juice  into  the  air. 

I  jammed  the  glass  into  the  bunt  of  the  topgallant  sail, 
and  threw  my  leg  over  the  yard  to  make  me  a  comfortable 
posture  with  my  back  against  the  mast. 

I  have  often  wondered,  in  reading  that  magnificent  de- 


172  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

scription  of  a  giddy  height  of  cliff  in  "King  Lear,"  how 
the  great  master  would  have  described  a  view  from  the 
masthead  of  a  lofty  vessel.  Say  what  ycu  will  of  a  survey 
from  a  mountain-top  or  from  the  edge  of  towering  cliffs;  in 
my  humble  judgment  the  most  thrilling  impression  that 
great  elevation  can  produce  is  (leaving  of  course  the  balloon-  • 
car  out  of  the  question)  to  be  obtained  from  the  slender  yard 
of  a  tall  ship  in  the  middle  of  the  sea. 

For  here  you  get  an  element  of  isolation  that,  in  spite  of 
the  lonesomeness  of  craggy  land,  is  qualified,  if  not  extin- 
guished, when  surveying  a  scene  from  any  sort  of  height 
ashore,  not  only  by  the  sight  of  land  all  around  you,  but  by 
land  being  under  your  feet.  But  at  the  masthead  of  a  ship 
you  stand  upon  a  slender  rope  or  bestride  a  spar  that  looks 
no  stouter  than  a  knitting-needle  from  the  deck,  and  you  gaze 
around  upon  a  mighty  surface  of  water;  for  the  narrow  and 
familiar  horizon  beheld  from  the  deck  is  magnified  into  an 
immense  ocean,  and  a  whole  hemisphere  of  heaven  leans 
away  into  the  prodigious  distance,  while  below  is  the  nar- 
row shape  of  the  hull  on  whose  surface  the  seamen  crawl 
in  size  no  bigger  than  flies,  and  you  are  amazed  that  so 
slender  and  tapering  a  fabric  should  support  the  sky-search- 
ing height  of  mast  and  canvas  from  the  summit  of  which 
you  look  down.  Here,  I  say,  a  man  gets  that  sense  of  iso- 
lation which  no  land  eminence  can  yield,  and  it  is  com- 
plete enough  even  when  the  seas  bask  brightly  and  calmly 
around,  when  the  sails  are  gently  drawing,  when  the  sweet 
winds  blow  softly,  and  the  blue  sky  looks  blandly  upon  the 
deep  in  whose  bosom  it  pictures  its  azure  beauty.  But  it  is 
supreme  when  the  tempest  is  around  you,  when  the  heavens 
are  full  of  sooty  clouds,  whirling  in  convolutions  like  the 
smoke  of  a  newly  fed  furnace  crowding  in  black,  fat  vol- 
umes from  a  factory  chimney ;  when  the  torn  sea  spreads 
like  a  vast  surface  of  wool  for  leagues  and  leagues,  and  the 
huge  surges  plash  in  sheets  of  blinding  spray  over  the 
streak  of  hull  that  races,  far  beneath  you,  like  a  shadow 
through  the  white  haze  of  storm-driven  spume,  and  reels 
under  the  shocks  with  a  quivering  that  sets  the  mast  on 
which  you  are  poised  trembling  like  an  old  man's  hand; 
when  the  gale  is  roaring  in  thunder  out  of  the  strip  of  sail 
stretched  upon  the  yards  a  long  distance  below  you,  and 


THE  DROIT  MARITIME.  173 

the  din  of  clashing  seas  and  the  yelling  of  the  tempest  in 
the  sky  perfect  through  the  ear  the  scene  of  grandeur  and 
terror  beheld  by  the  eye. 

"  Topgallant-yard  there !  Mr.  Madison,  are  we  rising  the 
sail  ahead?" 

"Yes,  sir,  fast;- she's  a  very  large  lugger:  apparently 
not  far  short  of  our  tonnage,"  I  answered,  bringing  the 
glass  to  bear  upon  the  hull  that  was  now  hove  up  clear  upon 
the  smooth  water-line.  "  She  looks  tome  to  be  deserted,"  I 
said  to  Wilkinson.  "  Watch  her  a  bit,  and  you  will  see 
how  she  comes  to  and  falls  off;"  and  handing  him  the  glass, 
I  hailed  the  deck  and  told  Shelvocke  to  luff  the  schooner  a 
point,  as  the  lugger  was  forging  ahead,  and  would  be  to 
windward  of  us. 

"  She  certainly  don't  look  to  me  as  if  there  was  anybody 
at  her  helm,"  exclaimed  Wilkinson.  "But  there  ain't 
much-  doubt  as  to  her  character  sir;  she's  a  large  French 
privateer  chokeful  of  men,  I  dessay,  though  it's  surprising 
they  don't  appear  to  see  us  coming,  and  wake  up." 

I  descended  the  rigging,  and  on  making  my  report  to  Shel- 
vocke the  order  was  given  to  see  all  clear.  The  great  main- 
sail and  spars  of  the  lugger  were  by  this  time  visible  from 
the  deck,  and  after  working  with  the  glass  for  some  mo- 
ments Shelvocke  turned  to  me  with  a  puzzled  expression. 

"  Eeally,  by  the  look  of  her,  Mr.  Madison,  I  am  disposed 
to  agree  with  you  that  she  is  abandoned,"  said  he.  "She 
is  neither  hove  to  nor  ratching.  One  might  suppose  she 
would  have  made  us  out  long  before  this — yet  I  cannot  im- 
agine there  is  any  trick  meant." 

"  I  should  say  not,  sir.  She  was  in  the  same  posture 
when  we  first  sighted  her." 

Meanwhile  the  Tigress  was  slipping  through  the  water 
quietly  but  very  nimbly,  and  as  the  lugger  lay  athwart  our 
hawse,  apparently  shooting  a  few  fathoms  to  windward  as 
her  mainsail  filled  and  then  curving  round  into  the  wind 
again  and  lying  motionless,  it  was  like  running  down  to  a 
stationary  object,  and  in  less  than  twenty  minutes  her  hull 
was  distinctly  visible  from  the  deck. 

"  Seven  guns  of  a  side,  by  Jupiter!"  exclaimed  Shelvocke. 
:'But  I  see  no  men." 

"  Unless  they  are  all  at  quarters  on  their  hams  under  the 


1U  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

bulwarks,  sir.  You  remember  how  the  picaroon  was  caught 
by  the  troop-ship  who  kept  her  soldiers  hidden  until  the 
privateer  ranged  alongside,  and  then  discharged  a  broad- 
side of  three  hundred  muskets  and  six  rounds  of  grape  into 
the  thick  of  the  buccaneering  crew?" 

"  Ay,  we  must  mind  what  were  are  about, ",  he  replied, 
glancing  along  our  decks  at  the  men  grouped  at  the  guns, 
and  at  the  crows,  handspikes,  rammers,  sponges,  powder 
horns,  and  train-tackles  which  garnished  the  sides  of  the 
grim  black  pieces.  We  watched  the  lugger  with  keen  in- 
tentness,  expecting  every  moment  to  see  some  movement 
aboard  of  her.  There  could  be  no  doubt  she  was  a  French- 
man. I  thought  it  possible  that  her  people  might  have  mis- 
taken us  for  a  consort  for  whom  they  were  waiting;  but 
though  we  were  near  enough  to  her  now  to  have  her  very 
clearly  in  the  glass,  nothing  living  could  be  perceived.  I 
watched  her  bulwarks  with  the  closest  attention  to  see  if 
anything  moved,  but  she  looked  as  dead  as  a  water-logged 
hulk.  She  was  a  very  large  and  handsome  vessel,  coppered 
to  the  bends,  painted  black,  and  heavily  sparred.  She 
seemed  to  chafe  like  a  tethered  racehorse  as  she  filled  and 
shook  her  cotton-white  canvas,  and,  like  a  creature  of  in- 
stinct, appeared  to  know  her  danger,  and  to  make  short  and 
ineffectual  efforts  to  escape. 

"  Do  you  notice  that  she  has  her  tompions  in,  sir?"  I  ex- 
claimed ;  "  that  does  not  look  as  if  she  meant  to  receive  us 
ungraciously." 

"  She  is  evidently  deserted,"  answered  Shelvocke.  "  Get 
the  launch  and  the  two  cutters  piped  away,  Mr.  Madison. 
But  mind  how  you  board.  I  have  known  a  tempting  gang- 
way rope  explode  a  pistol  in  the  magazine,  and  blow  a  ship 
and  the  boats  alongside  her  into  staves." 

We  held  on  with  the  boats  towing,  until  we  were  within 
half  a  mile  of  the  lugger;  a  number  of  men  heavily  armed 
then  tumbled  into  the  launch,  of  which  I  took  command, 
and  we  shoved  off,  followed  by  the  other  boats,  each  of 
which  contained  ten  men. 

As  we  advanced  I  watched  the  lugger  keenly.  This  was 
not  an  ordinary  boating  expedition.  When  you  are  prepared 
for  resistance  your  nerves  are  braced  up,  you  can  p^tty 
well  guess  what  is  going  to  happen;  with  a  crew  «*'  Fug- 


THE  DROIT  MARITIME.  1?5 

lishmen  at  your  back  you  foresee  the  spring  of  the  men  on 
to  the  sides,  the  slashing  and  the  nettings,  the  ugly  thrusts 
of  the  boarding- pikes,  the  clash  of  cutlasses,  the  fierce  growl- 
ing and  wild  shrieks  of  the  deadly  scuffle,  the  deafening  ex- 
plosion of  small  arms  at  your  ears,  the  murderous  crash  of 
tomahawks.  But  here  was  a  powerful  vessel  wrapped  in 
the  silence  of  death.  Her  bulwarks  hid  the  decks,  and  it- 
was  impossible  to  tell  what  lurked  under  the  tall  shelter. 
A  shower  of  grape  would  have  been  a  welcome  relief  to  the 
highly  wrought  feeling  of  expectation  inspired  by  the  grim 
and  silent  lugger.  Our  men,  who  would  have  looked  five 
times  their  own  numbers  unflinchingly  in  the  face,  seemed 
almost  scared  by  the  unusual  sight  of  a  long  and  heavily 
armed  craft,  seemingly  abandoned,  and  suspecting  some  hell- 
ish design  to  underlie  this  spectacle  of  the  helplessness  and 
desertion,  were  continually  glancing  over  their  shoulders  at 
the  vessel  as  they  rowed. 

We  had  approached  within  a  musket-shot  of  her,  when 
I  saw  a  human  head  rise  above  the  bulwarks  and  remain 
for  a  few  seconds  gazing  at  us,  during  which  it  swayed  to 
and  fro  like  the  ball  of  a  pendulum.  It  disappeared,  and 
immediately  after  a  man  with  his  hair  over  his  eyes,  and 
with  his  clothes  in  wild  disorder,  scrambled  on  to  the  rail, 
fired  a  pistol  at  us,  and,  with  a  laugh  like  a  madman's,  flung 
the  weapon  toward  my  boat  and  vanished,  falling  backward 
in  such  a  manner  that  the  last  we  saw  of  him  was  his  quiver- 
ing legs.  At  this  extraordinary  sight  Tapping,  who  was  in 
charge  of  the  cutter  immediately  astern  of  me,  burst  into  a 
hoarse  guffaw,  like  the  bray  of  an  ass. 

"A  strong  pull,  men!"  I  shouted.  "There  are  people 
to  receive  us.  Board  her  astern,  cutters!"  I  cried,  turning 
to  address  the  hinder  boats;  "her  bows  are  my  chance." 

We  dashed  alongside  simultaneously,  scrambled  over  her 
bulwarks  like  a  cloud  of  bluebottles  swarming  on  a  piece 
of  carrion,  and  in  a  trice  had  possession  of  her  decks. 

As  strange  and  monstrous  a  scene  as  ever  human  eye  en- 
countered presented  itself.  So  far  as  I  could  judge  by  hur- 
riedly running  my  glance  over  them,  there  lay  upon  the 
decks  about  ten  or  eleven  men  in  the  last  stage  of  beastly 
intoxication.  Some  reclined  like  logs  upon  their  backs, 
with  the  full  light  of  the  sun  pouring  upon  their  crimson 


176  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

faces,  their  mouths  open,  snorting  stertorously  like  persons 
in  an  apoplexy,  and  the  glazed  whites  of  their  eyes  looking 
like  slips  of  blank  paper  between  their  half-closed  lids. 
Others  nearly  as  helpless,  and  quite  as  em  brutalized  as 
these,  but  still  preserving  some  dim  glimmering  of  human 
reason  as  one  might  suppose,  faintly  struggled  to  rear  their 
bodies  on  their  elbows,  but  fell  back  with  horrid  smiles  and 
a  sputtering  of  inarticulate  words.  There  was  only  one  man 
— he  who  had  fired  at  us — who  appeared  equal  to  the  task 
of  gaining  his  feet.  He  rose  from  the  side  of  the  carronade 
slide  where  he  had  fallen,  and  seizing  a  boarding-pike  gave 
a  drunken  shout,  and  reeled  toward  us  with  the  weapon 
couched  in  the  posture  of  charging;  one  of  our  men  sprang 
forward,  but  before  he  could  grapple  him  the  brute  tripped 
over  a  coil  of  rope,  and  fell  with  such  a  mighty  whack  of 
his  forehead  upon  the  deck  that  I  was  quite  sure,  even  if 
he  had  not  killed  himself  outright,  he  would  give  us  no 
further  trouble. 

Against  the  coamings  of  the  main  hatch,  that  was  covered 
with  a  tarpaulin  over  it,  was  a  tub  half-full  of  undiluted 
rum.  The  mere  sniffing  up  of  the  ardent  spirit  with  the 
fierce  rays  of  the  afternoon  sun  beating  upon  my  head  and 
back  made  my  brain  dizzy.  A  couple  of  tin  vessels  were 
sunk  in  the  tub,  and  half-a-dozen  utensils  of  a  similar  kind 
lay  scattered  among  the  prostrate  men. 

Of  all  beastly  pictures — I  hope  to  be  forgiven  the  violent 
word — these  intoxicated  sailors  made  one  of  the  worst — I 
had  almost  written  the  worst — that  ever  shocked  and  pained 
and  disgusted  human  eyes.  Some  of  them  had  evidently 
been  concerned  in  a  scuffle,  for  their  clothes  were  in  rags, 
and  they  lay  half-naked.  One  dreadful-looking  creature, 
with  red  hair  in  a  tangled  mass  over  his  forehead,  and  the 
whites  of  his  eyes  giving  an  extraordinary  character  of  hor- 
ror to  his  purple  face,  his  gibbering,  bluish-colored  lips 
churning  out  a  stream  of  froth  that  flowed  down  his  chin, 
one  hand  under  his  back,  and  the  other  across  his  breast 
with  the  fingers  working  convulsively,  like  the  antennae  of 
a  dying  "long-legs,"  and  his  legs  doubled  under  him  as 
though  the  bones  of  them  had  been  taken  out,  and  his  bare 
breast  and  a  portion  of  his  shirt  stained  with  a  quantity  of 
rum  that  appeared  to  have  been  flung  over  him,  was  a  sight 


"And  seizing  a  boarding-pike,  gave  a  drunken  shout  and  reeled 
towards  us  with  the  weapon  couched  in  the  posture  of  charging." 

— Page  176. 


THE  DROIT  MARITIME.  177 

that  even  the  horror-loving  eye  of  Hogarth  would  have 
shunned,  and  alongside  of  which  Caliban  would  have  looked 
a  fair  and  pleasant  creation. 

"  I  believe  there  are  more  of  them  below,  sir,"  rattled  out 
Tapping,  slewing  his  head  about  over  a  small  closed  sky- 
light in  his  efforts  to  see  through  the  panes  which  the  flash- 
ing of  the  sun  converted  into  a  looking-glass. 

"Mr.  Chestree,  capsize  that  tub  of  rum,"  I  exclaimed. 
"  Man  the  pumps,  some  of  you,  and  drench  these  beasts — 
there  are  buckets  forward  there;  mind  you  don't  drown 
them." 

While  this  was  doing  I  threw  open  the  skylight,  first 
taking  care  to  group  a  number  of  men  with  loaded  pistols 
around  it  ready  to  fire  down  should  any  show  of  resistance  be 
made  by  the  inmates  of  the  cabin.  The  skylight  was  pitched 
right  amidships  of  the  cabin  ceiling,  and  on  putting  my 
head  down,  I  saw  five  figures  in  various  postures  upon  the 
floor,  all  motionless,  and  as  dead  drunk  as  the  men  on  deck ; 
one  of  them  lying  capsized  backward  in  his  chair,  his  head 
on  the  floor  and  his  heels  on  the  table.  A  perfect  stench 
of  rum  came  up  in  a  cloud;  it  was  like  holding  one's  nose 
over  a  distiller's  vat. 

I  was  in  the  act  of  descending  the  companion-steps,  when 
I  was  loudly  hailed  by  Chestree,  who  stood  forward. 

"Mr.  Madison,  will  you  step  this  way,  sir?  I  believe 
there's  a  whole  cargo  of  men  under  the  fore-hatch  here." 

I  immediately  ran  toward  the  forecastle. 

"Listen,  sir!"  exclaimed  Chestree;  and  standing  close  to 
the  small  covered  hatch,  that  was  situated  a  few  paces  abaft 
the  foremast,  I  heard  a  noise  of  knocking  accompanied  by 
sounds  which  resembled  the  distant  moaning  of  a  number  of 
wounded  animals. 

"Belay  that  pumping!"  I  called  out  to  the  men,  who 
were  dashing  water  over  the  senseless  bodies  with  a  glee 
that  betokened  high  enjoyment  of  the  work.  "  Six  of  you 
keep  watch  round  the  companion,  and  the  rest  come  for- 
ward. Look  to  your  small-arms,  men:  there  seems  a 
whole  shipload  of  human  beings  under  these  decks." 

They  immediately  flung  down  their  buckets,  and  formed 
into  a  compact  square  round  the  forehatch,  the  cover  of 
which  I  now  ordered  them  to  lift. 
12 


178  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

Scarcely  had  this  been  done,  when  there  a  rose  a  wild  and 
frightful  din  of  agonized  voices.  May  God  spare  rne  from 
ever  hearing  the  like  again !  A  rush  of  hot,  fetid,  suffocat- 
ing air  followed  the  opening  of  the  hatch,  and  made  every 
man  who  had  bent  forward  to  look  down  recoil. 

"  My  God !"  shouted  Chestree,  "  they  are  French  prisoners, 
Mr.  Madison !  Look !  there  are  a  dozen  suffocated  bodies 
under  the  feet  of  the  living!" 

He  raised  his  voice  into  a  shriek,  and  a  deep  groan  broke 
from  the  seamen  who  stood  around. 

The  cabin  or  forecastle  was  about  six  feet  deep ;  the  lad- 
der had  been  drawn  up,  and  when  I  looked  down  into  this 
black  and  suffocating  pit  I  beheld  a  whole  surface  of  up- 
ward-gazing faces,  glimmering  yellow  amid  the  twilight, 
with  dark  prostrate  forms  beneath  them,  while  yell  upon 
yell  burst  from  the  lips  of  the  miserable  sufferers.  "  De 
Veau!  deVeau!  de  Veau!"  this  was  the  one  burden  of  the 
dreadful  raving. 

"Silence!"  I  shouted  in  my  bad  French,  that  was  made 
worse  still,  just  as  my  voice  was  rendered  hoarse  as  a  raven's 
by  the  agitation  and  horror  I  was  under.  "  We  are  here  to 
succor  you.     Tell  me  your  numbers." 

"We  were  forty.  There  rests  but  twenty -five  living," 
came  the  answer. 

"  Quick,  men !"  I  shouted  to  my  own  brave  fellows ;  "  hand 
up  these  poor  creatures.  Lean  over  as  many  of  you  as 
can  find  room,  and  let  them  catch  your  hands.  They'll 
scramble  up  well  enough  with  that  help." 

Half  a  dozen  of  the  strongest  men  flung  down  their 
weapons  and  dropped  on  their  knees,  and  as  one  by  one  the 
prisoners  were  drawn  up,  they  fled  to  the  scuttle-butt  and 
fought  for  the  dipper  like  famished  dogs  over  a  bone. 

They  had  all  the  same  semi-asphyxiated  look,  distended 
eyeballs,  whitish  lips,  and  the  veins  standing  out  like  whip- 
cord upon  their  throats  and  temples;  while  the  perspiration 
had  drenched  the  very  coats  on  their  backs,  and  so  slimy 
were  their  hands  that  our  men  had  to  catch  them  by  the 
wrists  to  get  a  fair  hoisting  purchase. 

Hardly  had  the  first-comers  on  deck  assuaged  their  thirst, 
when  they  turned  upon  the  bodies  of  the  drunken  seamen, 
whose  nationality  I  had  not  yet  been  able  to  determine, 


THE  DROIT  MARITIME.  179 

though  I  was  very  much  afraid  that  they  were  Englishmen. 
They  brandished  their  fists  over  them,  howled  and  cursed 
them,  and  spat  upon  them,  and  were  only  restrained  from 
tearing  the  inanimate  brutes  to  pieces  by  a  determined  move- 
ment aft  on  the  part  of  the  men.  One  of  the  prisoners  pulled 
a  long  knife  from  his  breeches-pocket  and  made  a  sneaking 
stride  toward  the  red-haired  monster  whose  appearance  I 
have  described,  grasping  the  haft  of  the  knife  so  that  the 
blade  forked  out  of  his  shaking  hand  astern ;  and  by  the 
look  of  his  face  he  would,  I  believe,  have  stabbed  the  in- 
toxicated sailor  to  the  heart  before  I  could  have  had  time 
to  rush  upon  him,  had  not  one  of  his  companions  gripped 
his  arm  and  muttered  fiercely  in  his  ear,  and  dragged  him 
violently  back. 

On  the  other  hand,  there  were  some  among  these  wretched 
captives  who,  after  they  had  drunk  and  recovered  their 
minds,  appeared  overcome  with  the  horrors  from  which 
they  had  been  released.  I  saw  three  of  them  weeping  like 
children,  others  hiding  their  faces  in  their  hands,  and  two 
on  their  knees  crossing  themselves  and  praying.  I  glanced 
my  eye  over  them  as  they  stood  near  the  scuttle-butts  in  a 
group  of  twenty-five — the  number  they  had  named,  though 
how  they  had  been  able  to  take  stock  in  the  black  and 
stifling  forecastle  was  and  still  remains  a  great  mystery  to 
me — and  noticed  that  they  were  all  seamen,  dressed  in  the 
picturesque  costumes  of  the  French  buccaneers  of  that  pe- 
riod, most  of  them  with  colored  caps,  the  points  of  which 
fell  over  their  ears,  and  red  shirts,  and  duck  or  fine  canvas 
breeches,  and  short  sea-boots  with  overhanging  flaps.  They 
were  in  general  small  men  (though  there  were  three  or 
four  strapping  fellows  among  them),  with  keen,  dark, 
savage,  bearded  faces,  and  many  of  them  wore  large  ear- 
rings, and  silver  rings  on  their  fingers.  They  were  un- 
armed, it  is  true:  but  there  were  pikes,  cutlasses,  and 
pistols  in  abundance,  both  upon  the  decks  and  in  the 
racks,  and  these  men,  naturally  ferocious,  had  been  con- 
verted into  wild  beasts  by  the  shocking  treatment  they  had 
received. 

To  deprive  the  demons  in  them  of  any  chance  ol  an  out- 
break, I  divided  them  into  four  gangs,  each  one  of  which 
was  guarded  by  a  number  of  my  own  men,  and  ordered 


ISO         AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

Chestree  to  hail  the  schooner  and  request  Captain  Shelvocke 
to  send  the  pinnace  to  me  along  with  Mr.  Corney. 

The  Tigress  had  ratched  some  way  to  windward  of  us 
under  her  foresail  only,  but  on  perceiving  the  signals  made 
by  Chestree,  Shelvocke  at  once  put  his  helm  up,  and  ran 
down.  While  the  schooner  was  approaching,  I  called  to  a 
couple  of  seamen  and  entered  the  lugger's  cabin.  I  found 
myself  in  a  tolerably  roomy  box-shaped  place,  pierced  by 
the  foot  of  the  mizzen-mast,  with  a  couple  of  berths  aft, 
the  doors  of  which  were  open.  There  was  a  row  of  shelves 
affixed  to  the  foremast  bulkhead,  full  of  china  plates,  glasses, 
and  things  of  that  kind,  and  the  ceiling  was  garnished  with 
a  number  of  muskets,  cutlasses,  and  a  weapon  I  had  never 
before  seen — a  truncheon  of  the  length  of  a  man's  aim,  ter- 
minating in  a  knob  of  spiked  iron  of  about  the  dimensions 
and  weight  of  a  four-pound  roundshot.  There  were  three 
or  four  overturned  chairs  upon  the  floor,  a  quantity  of  broken 
glass  that  crunched  under  every  step  I  and  my  men  took, 
and  the  planks  were  slippery  with  rum,  the  smell  of  which 
was  quite  intolerable  in  the  close  and  muggy  atmosphere ; 
and  the  sides  of  the  table,  which  were  rimmed  to  the  height 
of  an  inch  to  prevent  the  crockery  from  sliding  in  rough 
weather,  were  afloat  with  grog,  like  the  scuppers  of  a  ship 
in  a  gale  of  wind,  that  drained  off  first  at  one  end  and  then 
at  the  other,  as  the  vessel  swayed. 

I  now  observed  that  there  were  six  men  in  this  cabin,  the 
man  that  had  escaped  the  glance  I  had  taken  through  the 
skylight  being  jammed  up  in  a  corner,  where  he  sat  upon 
his  haunches,  with  his  arms  hanging  all  abroad  and  his 
head  fallen  over  his  knees.  Some  of  them  snored  through 
their  pipes  like  men  attacked  by  bronchitis ;  but  the  fellow 
who  lay  capsized  in  his  chair  made  no  noise  and  was  motion- 
less. A  broad  glare  of  the  lateral  sunshine  that  streamed 
through  to  the  skylight  fell  upon  this  recumbent  figure,  and 
I  would  not  like  to  say  that  the  repulsive  red-haired  mon- 
ster on  deck  made  a  more  monstrous  object  than  this 
man,  whose  face  was  black  with  suffocation,  whose  eyes 
protruded  from  their  sockets,  and  over  the  rim  of  whose 
tight  jacket-collar  the  flesh  had  swelled  into  a  hard  puffed- 
out  circle,  the  color  and  appearance  of  a  gutta-percha  ring. 

I  ordered  my  men  to  raise  him;  but  on  seizing  his  arms, 


THE  DROIT  MARITIME.  181 

they  found  him  stone-dead;  so  we  let  him  lie  on  his  back, 
and  I  went  on  deck  again,  sick  with  the  sight  and  dizzy 
with  the  spirituous  stench  of  the  place. 

By  this  time  the  schooner  had  floated  to  within  speaking- 
distance,  I  jumped  on  to  the  lugger's  taffrail,  and  sung  out 
the  particulars  of  the  capture  to  Shelvocke,  and  recom- 
mended that  the  prisoners  should  be  divided  between  the 
two  vessels. 

"  Very  well,"  be  called  out.  "  You  may  send  as  many  as 
you  think  proper  abroad  the  Tigress.  Corney  will  be  with 
you  in  a  few  minutes." 

I  waved  my  hand,  and  ordered  Tapping  to  tell  off  five 
men  to  hand  up  the  bodies  out  of  the  forecastle.  This  was 
a  most  ghastly  and  painful  business,  but  humanity  demanded 
that  it  should  immediately  be  executed,  as  it  was  just  pos- 
sible that  life  was  not  extinct  in  some  of  them.  I  suggested 
that  the  easiest  and  the  quickest  way  to  hoist  out  the  dead 
was  for  one  man  to  descend  and  attach  lines  to  the  bodies, 
which  the  others  could  then  haul  up.  This  was  done,  and 
before  Corney  arrived  we  had  removed  the  whole  fifteen 
bodies  and  ranged  them  in  a  row  under  the  bulwarks,  and 
I  shall  never  forget  the  groans  and  cries  which  broke  from 
the  survivors  of  the  miserable  French  crew  as  one  by  one  the 
corpses  of  their  shipmates  were  raised.  The  sight  lashed 
them  into  a  fury  that  nothing  short  of  the  cocked  and 
levelled  pistols  of  our  men  could  have  restrained. 

Next  to  the  expression  on  the  face  of  a  man  who  has  been 
killed  by  a  pike  thrust,  the  most  terrible  that  I  know  of  is 
that  of  death  by  asphyxia — at  all  events  when  that  kind  of 
death  is  produced  by  the  slow  operation  that  killed  these 
most  miserable  creatures.  All  the  horror  and  anguish  of 
the  slow  approach  of  extinction,  the  agony  of  the  difficult 
breathing,  the  dreadful  despair  following  the  mad  and  un- 
availing fight  for  life  in  darkness  and  in  the  midst  of  a 
steamy  and  putrescent  atmosphere,  were  expressed  in  these 
men's  half -closed  eyes  and  parted  blue  lips,  from  which  a 
reddish  froth  was  oozing,  and  the  greenish  yellow  of  the 
puffy  skin,  and  in  their  blackened  finger-nails  buried  in  the 
palms  of  their  hands. 

On  Corney' s  arrival,  he  immediately  fell  to  an  examina- 
tion of  these  bodies,  one  by  one.     The  Frenchmen  watched 


182  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

him  intently  and  in  profound  silence  at  first;  but  as  he 
passed  from  one  corpse  to  the  other,  shaking  his  head,  half- 
smothered  execrations  broke  from  the  prisoners ;  and  when 
Corney  had  inspected  the  last  body,  and  glanced  around  at 
me  with  a  look  on  his  face  that  was  unmistakable,  a  wild 
chorus  of  yells  and  curses  broke  from  the  Frenchmen ;  they 
all  cried  out  together,  and  the  sound  of  their  voices  was  as 
much  like  the  snarling  of  wild  beasts  as  the  imagination 
could  conceive;  there  was  a  short  rush  from  one  group 
toward  some  of  the  intoxicated  men,  and  a  few  hard  blows 
were  exchanged  between  them  and  the  Tigresses;  one  of  the 
prisoners  was  knocked  down,  and  a  pistol  exploded  in  the 
scuffle.  However,  the  poor  devils  stood  but  a  small  chance 
with  eight-and-thirty  determined  Englishmen  armed  to  the 
teeth.  I  ordered  ten  of  them  into  the  pinnace,  and  the 
remainder  I  mustered  aft,  where  they  were  suffered  to  re- 
main with  a  strong  guard  over  them,  while  I  dealt  with  the 
drunken  scoundrels  who  littered  the  decks  and  the  cabin. 

Though  I  have  dwelt  at  some  length  on  the  particulars 
of  this  strange  and  ghastly  adventure,  yet  not  more  than  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  had  been  expended  from  the  moment  of 
our  boarding  to  the  time  when  I  sent  away  half  of  the 
prisoners.  Some  of  the  drunken  men  were  now  beginning 
to  show  signs  of  life ;  one  or  two  of  them  struggled  until 
they  gained  their  feet,  but  immediately  fell  down  again, 
and  lay  looking  at  us  out  of  their  bloodshot  eyes  and  with 
sickly  imbecile  smiles.  Some  made  an  effort  to  crawl  on 
their  bodies  to  the  carronade  slides  or  the  foot  of  the  masts 
out  of  the  sun,  where  they  sat  up  with  their  backs  propped 
by  the  spar,  in  which  posture  they  watched  us  with  lolling 
heads,  and  their  hands  lying  lifeless  upon  the  decks,  and 
their  legs  twisted  into  a  manner  of  drunken  shapes  under 
or  around  them. 

I  told  Chestree  to  take  some  of  our  seamen  below  and 
bring  the  men  who  were  in  the  cabin  on  deck. 

"Bundle  the  brutes  up  as  they  come,"  said  I;  "and,  Mr. 
Tapping,  get  the  pumps  manned  and  give  some  of  those 
breathing  logs  there  another  drenching."  And  while  these 
orders  were  being  obeyed,  I  called  to  Corney  and  requested 
his  help  to  question  the  Frenchmen,  whose  story  I  was 
anxious  to  hear. 


THE  DROIT  MARITIME.  183 

Although,  as  I  have  said,  I  pronounced  the  French  lan- 
guage very  ill,  I  was  well  enough  acquainted  with  that 
tongue  to  understand  it  fully  when  spoken  by  others.  I  had, 
therefore,  no  difficulty  in  following  the  short  and  simple 
story  related  to  Corney  by  one  of  the  prisoners,  whom  I 
suspected  to  be  a  mate  by  the  way  in  which  he  acted  as 
spokesman  for  the  others  and  the  respect  that  was  suggested 
by  their  manner  toward  him,  though  there  was  nothing  to 
distinguish  him  in  his  dress  from  the  rest  of  his  shipmates. 

He  said  that  the  lugger  was  named  the  Droit  Maritime, 
and  that  her  crew,  when  she  left  Granville  that  day  a  fort- 
night previously,  had  consisted  of  a  hundred  and  sixty 
men.  Of  these,  sixty  were  away  in  prizes  when  the  lugger 
fell  in  with,  and  engaged,  a  large  English  polacre  brig,  who, 
after  killing  and  wounding  forty  of  the  Frenchman's  crew, 
hauled  down  her  colors.  Of  the  Englishman's  crew  only 
fourteen  or  fifteen  remained  unhurt,  and  these  were  put 
aboard  the  lugger,  who  sent  ten  of  her  own  men  into  the 
brig  to  carry  her  to  the  Tregnier  Roads.  But  a  few  hours 
after  this  engagement  a  small  vessel  hove  in  sight,  which 
the  French  captain  determined  to  pursue;  he  chased  her  to 
the  northward  for  thirteen  hours,  but  losing  sight  of  her  in 
the  darkness,  bore  up  again  to  follow  in  the  wake  of  the 
captured  brig. 

This  brought  the  time  down  to  two  o'clock  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  day  in  which  the  adventure  I  am  relating  befell 
us;  at  which  hour,  a  number  of  the  Frenchmen  being  in 
the  forecastle  of  the  lugger,  the  English  prisoners  managed 
to  break  out  through  the  main-hatch,  under  which  they  had 
been  confined  in  the  airiest  and  roomiest  part  of  the  vessel. 
The  attack  was  so  sudden  that  the  people  on  deck,  being 
utterly  unprepared,  were  immediately  overpowered,  and 
flung  overboard,  "alive  as  they  stood!"  said  the  man  who 
told  the  story,  and  his  face  grew  dark  with  passion  as  he 
added  that  the  hatch  was  put  over  the  men  who  were  sleep- 
ing in  the  forecastle,  and  that  in  that  hole,  without  light, 
without  air,  without  water,  forty  human  beings  had  been 
confined  for  fourteen  hours,  while  the  ruffians  who  had  be- 
come, not  their  jailers,  but  their  murderers,  had  broken 
open  the  spirit-room,  and  drank  until  they  had  reduced 
themselves  to  the  condition  in  which  we  found  them. 


184  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

"And  they  are  our  countrymen!"  I  exclaimed  in  French, 
looking  with  horror  and  shame  at  the  brutes,  whose  contor- 
tions were  reptile-like  as  they  endeavored  to  roll  away  from 
the  buckets  of  water  which  the  Tigresses  were  sluicing  over 
them,  and  snapped  their  teeth  and  gibbered  in  their  drunken 
passion. 

"  Yes,  they  are  English, "  answered  the  Frenchman,  "  but 
not  such  English  as  I  have  been  used  to  meet,"  he  added, 
with  more  tact  than  I  should  have  expected  to  find  in  such 
a  scowling,  black,  and  savage-looking  creature;  and  then 
with  a  world  of  moving  passion  in  his  voice,  and  with  wild 
and  pleading  gesticulations,  which  amazingly  increased  the 
pity  his  dreadful  tale  provoked,  he  poured  forth  in  rich 
dramatic  accents  an  account  of  the  terrible  sufferings  they 
had  endured ;  how  some  of  them  had  sucked  the  blood  from 
their  own  arms  to  quench  their  raging  thirst;  how  one  by 
one  fifteen  of  them  had  sunk  down,  dropping  without  a 
moan,  until  the  living  had  no  space  for  their  feet,  and  were' 
forced  to  stand  upon  the  soft  and  soaking  bodies  of  the  dead. 
He  described  them  tearing  the  very  nails  off  their  fingers 
in  their  efforts  to  force  the  hatch,  so  as  to  obtain,  not  liberty, 
but  one  little  draught  of  pure  air;  the  horrible  sound  of  the 
grinding  of  teeth,  the  choked  and  husky  hum  of  voices,  the 
deadly  struggle  to  keep  or  obtain  a  place  under  the  hatch, 
where  a  tiny  crevice  showed  a  faint  gleam  of  daylight. 

I  remembered  the  heat  of  the  weather — the  heat  that  had 
rendered  the  well-ventilated  cabin  of  the  Tigress  almost  un- 
bearable— while  he  was  speaking! 

They  could  hear,  he  said,  the  Englishmen  singing  on  deck 
and  afterward  fighting,  until  the  silence  assured  them  that 
the  wretches  had  drunk  themselves  senseless,  on  which  they 
abandoned  all  hope,  for  they  knew  that  every  miserable  in- 
mate of  the  black  and  choking  forecastle  would  be  dead  be- 
fore the  Englishmen  recovered  their  minds. 

"I  do  honestly  believe,  sir,"  exclaimed  Corney,  drawing 
a  long  quivering  breath  as  the  man  ended,  and  turning  to  me 
with  a  face  as  white  as  a  ghost,  "  that  this  is  the  most  hor- 
rible thing  that  has  happened  in  my  time,  and  1  am  forty- 
one  this  month." 

At  this  moment  I  was  hailed  by  Shelvocke,  who  had  ranged 
the  schooner  within  a  musket-shot  of  the  lugger. 


THE  DROIT  MARITIME.  185 

"What  are  you  doing  now,  Mr.  Madison?" 

"There's  a  whole  mob  of  drunken  Englishmen  aboard  of 
us  here,  sir,"  I  answered;  "and  we  are  fishing  the  last  of 
the  tribe  out  of  the  cabin.  These  scoundrels  will  want 
watching  as  well  as  the  Frenchmen,  and  I  think  you  had 
better  allow  forty  of  our  men  to  remain  in  the  lugger." 

"Very  well,"  he  replied.  "Dispose  of  the  men  as  you 
think  best.  How  many  of  our  seamen  have  you  aboard 
now?" 

"Thirty-eight,  sir." 

"I  will  send* a  couple  more  in  the  pinnace,  and  she  can 
bring  the  other  boats  back  with  her.  Let  Mr.  Tapping  and 
Mr.  Chestree  return  with  them,  and  you  can  remain  as  prize- 
master.  Get  sail  made  as  soon  as  possible,  for  I  want  to 
be  off." 

"Av>  ay,  sir." 

The  disgust  that  had  been  excited  in  our  men  by  the 
drunkenness  as  well  as  the  brutality  of  the  English  seamen, 
was  amusingly  exhibited  in  their  handling  of  the  fellows 
whom  they  hauled  out  of  the  cabin.  They  dragged  them 
up  the  companion-steps  heels  foremost,  some  of  them,  and 
rolled  them  along  the  decks  like  casks  with  their  feet,  and 
it  was  almost  impossible  to  keep  one's  gravity  over  the  pos- 
tures the  drunken  fellows  threw  themselves  into,  and  the 
imbecile  expression  of  their  faces  as  they  were  bundled  un- 
ceremoniously over  the  hatch  and  dropped,  one  on  top  of 
the  other,  into  the  gloomy  hole  from  which  we  had  liberated 
their  captives;  but  more  merciful  than  they,  we  left  the 
hatch  open,  and  this  made  all  the  difference  between  a  black 
and  noisome  grave  and  an  ordinary  forecastle. 

The  Frenchmen  were  now  got  under  hatches  and  stowed 
amidships  of  the  lugger,  where  there  was  plenty  of  room 
and  light,  and  sentries  posted  at  each  hatchway;  and  as 
nothing  remained  to  be  done  but  to  bury  the  dead,  I  dis- 
patched a  number  of  men  to  get  as  many  hammocks  on  a 
deck  as  there  were  corpses,  while  the  rest  made  sail  on  the 
lugger. 

By  this  time  the  sun  was  low  upon  the  seas,  but  there 
was  the  promise  of  a  beautiful  evening  and  a  fine  night  in 
the  soft  blue  of  the  sky,  and  in  the  high  shreds  of  white 
vapor  which   mottled  the  heavens  in  the  east,   and  there 


186  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

was  a  cool  wind  blowing.  The  sixteen  dead  bodies — fifteen 
Frenchmen  and  one  Englishman — made  a  most  repulsive 
and  ghastly  spectacle  of  the  deck,  and  I  ordered  them  to  be 
thrown  overboard  as  fast  as  the  men  could  lace  them  up  in 
the  hammocks,  taking  care,  however,  that  some  show  of 
reverence  attended  these  precipitate  burials.  1  felt  easier 
in  my  mind  when  the  last  body  was  gone,  and  when  I  could 
look  along  the  wide  deck  that  sloped  upward  like  a  smack's 
toward  the  bows,  and  witness  only  the  familiar  sight  of 
the  rows  of  guns,  and  the  seamen  at  work,  and  the  sentries 
standing  with  drawn  cutlasses  and  loaded  pistols  in  their 
belts  by  the  open  hatches.  Sailors  are  superstitious  about 
the  dead,  and  are  always  uneasy  while  they  are  shipmates 
with  a  corpse.  Besides,  fifteen  of  the  unhappy  creatures 
had  died  so  horrible  a  death,  that  the  mere  thought  of  their 
last  sufferings  turned  the  heart  sick;  and  the  depression  of 
spirits  the  sight  of  them  bred  in  us  was  as  reasonable  an 
excuse  as  we  needed  to  give  them  an  informal  and  hurried 
toss. 

Next  to  a  schooner,  I  think  a  lugger  the  usefullest  if  not 
the  handiest  rig  afloat.  I  had  never  sailed  one  before,  and 
now  I  was  in  charge  of  a  lugger  of  above  two  hundred  tons, 
built  and  owned  at  St.  Malo,  and  as  fast  and  powerful  a 
boat  as  any  that  ever  hailed  from  that  nest  of  privateers. 
Whatever  injury  she  had  received  from  the  guns  of  the 
polacre  had  been  made  good,  and  when  we  had  mastheaded 
her  enormous  gaffs  a  whole  ocean  of  canvas  looked  to  be 
spread  overhead. 

Shelvocke  sung  out  that  he  wanted  to  try  the  schooner 
against  her,  but  fast  as  the  lugger  unquestionably  was,  giv- 
ing one  a  sensation  of  skimming  rather  than  sailing,  she 
was  no  match  for  the  schooner,  who  walked  away  from  her 
as  though  she  had  her  tow-rope  aboard,  and  had  no  difficulty 
in  keeping  her  position  abreast  of  us  under  her  mainsail 
and  jib  only.  And  how  glorious  she  looked!  glancing  her 
copper  along  the  dark  green  water  with  the  red  sunset  level- 
ling its  warm,  rich  light  at  her  over  our  mastheads  and 
rosily  tinting  her  graceful  sails  and  streaking  her  bright 
masts  with  lines  of  fire,  and  giving  a  reddish  tinge  to  the 
froth  that  rolled  along  her  black  side  like  a  line  of  wool 
unwinding  from  her  bows;  while  her  bristling  guns  and 


THE  DROIT  MARITIME.  187 

high  and  gleaming  bulwarks,  and  the  massive  though  beau- 
tiful sheer  of  her  from  the  gangway  to  the  cathead,  gave 
one  such  an  idea  of  the  formidable  figure  she  must  make  in 
the  eyes  of  an  enemy  as  I  had  never  before  realized. 

When  we  were  fairly  sailing  along  with  the  decks  washed 
down,  and  the  ropes  coiled  away,  and  the  guns  carefully 
looked  to,  in  the  event  of  a  sudden  call  to  arms,  and  while 
the  crisp  slice  of  moon  was  doing  battle  with  the  reddish 
twilight  in  which  the  figures  of  the  men,  as  they  hung  with 
pipes  in  their  mouths  over  the  bows  of  the  lugger,  loomed 
large;  and  the  sentries  round  the  hatches  were  like  statues 
seen  within  a  dimly  lighted  museum;  and  the  form  of  the 
schooner  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away  on  the  weather 
bow,  might,  at  the  first  glance,  have  passed  for  an  optical 
illusion,  and  set  one  winking  to  look  again,  so  vague  and 
airy  was  the  shape  of  her  on  the  running  water,  and  so 
spectral  the  pallid  canvas  that  seemed  in  the  act  of  melting 
away  on  the  indigo  of  the  eastern  sky ;  methought — for 
what  should  all  this  fine  writing  preface  but  a  rank  bit  of 
commonplace? — that  I  would  sup.  And  so  down  I  went 
into  the  cabin,  which,  having  been  cleansed  and  swabbed, 
had  lost  much  of  its  rum-breathing  atmosphere,  and  set  a 
youthful  Tigress  (who  counted  as  one  of  the  forty  men)  to 
hunt  about  for  something  to  eat:  and  presently  he  had 
furnished  out  a  very  comfortable  supper-table,  on  which  I 
beheld  an  excellent  ham,  a  piece  of  cold  brisket  of  beef  that 
looked  to  have  been  fattened  on  English  grass,  some  capital 
sea-biscuits,  a  cheese,  and  a  bottle  of  wine— the  fruits  of  a 
well-stocked  larder  or  pantry  which  I  believe  only  a  boy 
would  have  stumbled  on,  for  the  door  of  it  was  a  sliding 
panel  in  the  foremost  bulkhead,  and  was  as  mysterious  a 
closet  as  anything  of  the  kind  I  ever  read  of  in  the  Anna 
Maria  and  Eose  Matilda  romances. 

I  so  little  relished  sitting  down  to  this  supper  alone,  that 
in  casting  about  me  for  a  companion — Corney  unhappily 
had  returned  to  the  schooner  with  Chestree  and  Tapping — 
I  thought  of  the  fellow  who  had  acted  as  spokesman  when 
we  questioned  the  Frenchman,  and  whom  I  took  to  be 
mate:  "Come,"  thought  I;  "the  poor  devil  has  suffered 
enough  at  the  hands  of  Englishmen  \  I  will  ask  him  to  sup 
with  me," 


1 88  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

So  I  went  on  deck  to  speak  to  the  Frenchman  down  the 
main-hatch,  as  I  knew  there  was  no  man  aboard  who  could 
have  delivered  any  message  they  would  understand. 

I  called  out,  "Messieurs,  I  wish  to  speak  to  you;" 
whereat  a  whole  crowd  of  them  came  and  stood  under  the 
hatchway.  There  was  just  twilight  enough  to  enable  me 
to  distinguish  the  faces  of  the  poor  creatures,  for  whom  all 
my  pity  revived  as  they  stood  gazing  up  at  me,  and  among 
them  I  noticed  the  man  I  wanted.  So,  addressing  myself 
to  him,  I  made  shift  to  let  him  know  that  I  should  be  glad 
if  he  would  join  me  at  supper. 

He  put  his  hand  on  his  breast,  and  made  me  a  bow  full 
of  grace,  though  his  dignity  was  somewhat  fluttered  by  the 
seamen  who  guarded  the  hatch  having  to  hoist  him  on  deck 
by  the  arms.  Before  I  went  aft  I  said  to  him  in  in  a  voice 
I  wished  his  companions  below  to  hear,  that  I  was  anxious 
the  prisoners  should  want  for  nothing  it  was  in  my  power 
to  give  them  :  and  any  desire  they  expressed  to  the  sentries 
should  be  attended  to,  if  reasonable.  It  was  my  duty,  I 
said,  to  atone  for  the  inhumanity  of  the  monsters  who  were 
imprisoned  in  the  forecastle,  and  who  would  be  delivered 
up  to  justice  on  our  arrival  in  England.  He  understood 
me,  for  I  helped  out  my  meaning  by  the  gestures  which 
make  up  the  better  half  of  the  French  language,  and  thanked 
me  very  gratefully,  and  looking  down  the  hatch,  exclaimed : 

"You  hear  what  this  bon  monsieur  says?7' 

"  Yes,  yes ;  he  is  a  comrade  to  be  proud  of — he  has  a 
French  heart — he  is  an  honest  man,"  the  poor  fellows 
answered. 

"Here,  Parell,"  I  called  to  the  boatswain's  mate,  who 
headed  my  detachment  of  the  Tigresses*,  "  see  that  these 
Frenchmen  are  well  treated.  I  have  told  them  to  make 
their  wants  known  to  the  sentries,  but  of  course  if  you  have 
any  doubts  you  will  come  to  me  for  instructions.  As  to  the 
brutes  in  the  forecastle,  if  you  hear  any  murmuring  among 
them,  tip  them  a  few  buckets  of  salt  water." 

The  man  grinned  and  touched  his  hat,  and,  followed  by 
the  French  seaman,  who  did  actually  prove  to  be  the  mate 
of  the  lugger,  I  led  the  way  to  the  cabin.  I  pointed  to  a 
seat,  but  he  looked  at  his  hands  and  down  his  shirt  with  a 
half-apologetic  smile. 


THE  DROIT  MARITIME.  189 

I  nodded,  as  much  as  to  say  "I  see  what  you  want,"  and 
motioned  toward  one  of  the  after-cabins,  in  which  I  had 
already  taken  care  to  assure  myself  the  things  he  required 
were  to  be  found.  I  admired  his  tact  in  leaving  the  door 
wide  open  while  he  bathed  his  face  and  passed  a  comb 
through  his  long  black  hair.  Although  dressed  only  in  a 
shirt  and  trousers  and  a  red  sash  round  his  waist,  his  brief 
and  meagre  toilet  appeared  to  have  given  him  as  much  con- 
fidence and  ease  as  a  new  suit  of  clothes  would  have  done; 
there  was  even  a  well-bred  air  in  his  manner  as  he  stepped 
out  of  the  berth  smiling  and  lightly  humming  a  tune,  with 
his  hands  clasped  in  front  of  him,  and  his  white  teeth 
gleaming  under  his  jetty  mustache,  and  his  black  eyes 
shining. 

He  insisted  on  my  sitting  first,  and  bowed  to  me  when 
he  took  his  chair,  and  with  the  gayest  air  in  the  work1  told 
me  that  yonder  berth,  which  I  had  been  good  enough  t  >  let 
him  enter,  had  been  his  own. 

"But,  monsieur,"  said  he,  toying  with  his  glass  that  I 
had  filled  with  wine,  "the  corsair's  toast  should  be  always 
■ — La  guerre  !  His  enemies  are  his  friends,  and  he  is  an 
imbecile  who  would  grumble  at  the  fortune  who  hates  him 
to-day  and  caresses  him  to-morrow." 

He  chinked  his  glass  against  mine,  and  emptied  it  with 
a  fine  theatrical  flourish.  But  though  I  was  amused  and 
even  pleased  with,  I  was  not  to  be  deceived  by,  this  holi- 
day politeness.  The  wisdom  of  having  a  loaded  pistol  in 
the  side-pocket  of  the  coat  I  wore  had  much  weight  given 
to  it,  not  alone  by  the  array  of  deadly  weapons  which  glit- 
tered over  the  head  of  my  friend  within  easy  reach  of  his 
hand,  but  by  the  inherent  fierceness  and  rascality  in  the 
fellow's  face,  which  his  smiles  only  lighted  up,  and  the 
peculiar  prowling  roll  of  his  gleaming  eyes  whenever  he 
was  silent  for  a  few  moments. 

Indeed  he  was  a  complete  realization  of  the  popular  idea 
of  the  picaroon,  privateersman,  corsair,  pirate,  or  bucca- 
neer— the  world  has  never  stinted  the  trade  in  titles— dark 
as  a  half-caste,  long,  black,  curling  hair,  thick  eyebrows, 
which  formed  an  angle,  the  point  of  which  was  in  the  in- 
dent betwixt  the  brow  and  the  nose,  long  mustaches,  the 
ends  of  which  overhung  the  short  bristling  beard,  a  thick 


190  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

neck  and  square  throat,  which  suggested  the  heaviness  of 
the  concealed  jaws,  with  the  cheap  exterior  trappings  of 
earrings,  finger-rings,  and  an  ebony  crucifix,  the  head  of 
the  silver  figure  on  which  glittered  just  above  the  open 
shirt  on  his  olive-colored  skin.  His  manners  were  mild 
enough  with  me,  but  it  was  the  amiability  of  a  dog  whose 
ears  are  uncocked  because  you  carry  a  thick  stick,  and  who 
wags  his  tail  while  he  languishingly  eyes  your  throat. 

He  ate  very  heartily,  and  enjoyed  himself  after  the  phi- 
losophy of  his  countrymen.  No  outsider  would  have  guessed 
his  situation  from  his  manner,  nor  have  supposed  him  other 
than  one  of  our  men,  or  at  least  a  passenger.  The  talking 
was  mostly  on  his  side,  for  the  very  good  reason  that  I  had 
not  enough  of  the  language  to  sustain  a  dialogue,  and  he 
did  not  know  a  word  of  English  except  "  Yash,"  which  he 
meant  for  "  Yes,"  and  which  he  repeatedly  uttered. 

Having  supped,  I  pulled  out  a  pipe  and  a  paper  of  to- 
bacco, which  I  offered  to  him.  He  thanked  me  with  a 
laugh,  and  said  that  if  I  would  prefer  a  cigar  he  would  be 
happy  to  fetch  a  box. 

"  Where  are  they  to  be  found?"  I  asked. 

He  pointed  under  the  table,  and  on  peering  at  the  deck, 
I  observed,  close  at  my  feet,  a  trap -door  about  four  feet 
square  with  an  iron  ring  affixed  to  it. 

"There  are  not  only  cigars  there,"  said  he,  "but  you 
will  find  some  boxes,  the  contents  of  which  would  keep  the 
whole  of  the  men  in  this  lugger,  and  in  your  schooner,  too, 
supplied  with  cigars,  ay,  and  grogue  also,  monsieur,  for  a 
hundred  years,  were  they  to  live  as  long." 

I  looked  at  him  earnestly. 

"  Monsieur  does  not  know  what  his  schooner  has  cap- 
tured?" said  he,  with  a  bitter  smile. 

"  I  should  be  glad  to  hear,"  I  answered. 

"  What  does  it  matter  now  ? "  he  cried,  with  a  fierce 
shrug,  and  apparently  thinking  aloud.  "  But  at  least  your 
crew  will  have  the  booty — the ,  monsters  who  would  have 
destroyed  us  will  not  share." 

I  was  not  very  sure  of  this,  so  I  made  him  no  reply, 
merely  keeping  an  interrogative  stare  fixed  upon  him. 

"About  these  cigars?"  said  he.  "Shall  I  fetch  a 
box?" 


THE  DROIT  MARITIME.  191 

"I  will  not  give  you  that  trouble,"  I  answered.  "Kan- 
som!"  I  shouted. 

The  boy  who  was  sitting  on  the  top  of  the  companion 
steps  ran  down. 

"  Tell  Parell  to  send  a  couple  of  men  aft,  here,  with  a 
lighted  lantern." 

Although  I  believed  there  was  no  treacherous  intent  in 
the  Frenchman's  offer  to  procure  the  cigars,  it  was  assur- 
edly not  my  business  to  trust  him.  The  powder-magazine 
was,  in  all  probability,  situated  somewhere  under  our  feet; 
the  ruffianly  Englishmen,  who  had  killed  fifteen  and  tor- 
tured the  rest  of  this  prisoner's  shipmates,  were  still  aboard 
the  lugger,  and  the  temptation  to  blow  them  as  well  as  us 
into  fragments  might  prove  stronger  than  the  consideration 
that  he  would  also  be  destroying  himself  and  his  fellow- 
captives.  Be  this  as  it  ma}',  I  would  not  trust  him ;  but 
my  evasion  of  his  offer  did.  not  at  all  offend  him.  He 
merely  said,  and  not  satirically  either,  "  Monsieur  is  very 
polite,"  meaning  that  I  was  polite  not  to  allow  him  to  take 
the  trouble  to  fetch  the  cigars. 

"  Pray, "  said  T,  while  we  waited  for  the  men,  "  will  you 
have  the  goodness  to  tell  me  what  those  cases  which  you 
have  spoken  of  contain?" 

"One  hundred  thousand  Mexican  dollars,"  he  answered 
promptly. 

I  looked  at  him  amazed ;  in  truth  I  believed  the  man  was 
joking,  and  the  expression  of  my  face  must  have  said  as 
much,  for  he  immediately  added : 

"  We  found  the  money  in  one  of  the  prizes  we  took  this 
day  a  week,  monsieur.  My  captain  transferred  the  chests 
to  the  Droit  Maritime,  as  he  believed  the  silver  would  be 
safer  in  our  charge  than  if  left  in  the  custody  of  the  small 
prize  crew  whom  we  sent  to  France  in  the  captured  vessel. 
One  would  have  thought,"  he  exclaimed,  with  his  face 
darkening  under  a  sudden  gust  of  passion  that  at  least  con- 
vinced me  he  was  speaking  the  truth,  "  that  the  captain  of 
a  vessel  with  such  a  booty  on  board  would  have  made  haste 
to  land  it.  Instead,  my  captain,  not  content  with  risking 
this  sum  of  money  in  the  encounter  with  the  polacre  brig, 
must  needs  chase  a  small  vessel  who  carries  him  within  a 
few  leagues  of  British  waters.     And  for  what?     The  chase 


192         AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

escapes  us !  our  prisoners  rise,  murder  rny  captain  and  a 
number  of  men,  and  this  rich  lugger  becomes  your  prey 
without  costing  you  a  struggle!  I  remonstrated — I  cried 
out  against  my  captain  for  his  madness  in  chasing  that 
small  vessel.  'We  are  rich  enough  for  this  voyage,'  I  ex- 
claimed; 'let  us  at  least  make  for  Granville,  and  start 
afresh  with  a  swept  hold.'  He  threatened  me!  he  called 
me  boute-feu!  matin!     And  now  behold  us!" 

He  dashed  his  clenched  fist  upon  the  table  with  all  the 
extravagance  of  an  infuriated  Frenchman:  but  hearing 
the  footsteps  of  the  men  on  the  companion-ladder,  he  re- 
covered himself  with  an  astonishing  effort,  and  exclaimed 
in  his  former  light-hearted  voice,  taking  the  neck  of  the 
bottle  in  his  hand : 

"Monsieur,  your  glass  is  empty.  I  know  this  wine — it 
will  not  hurt  you." 

Before  I  could  answer  him  the  men  sent  by  Parell  en- 
tered the  cabin.  One  of  them  carried  a  lighted  lantern, 
which  I  bade  him  set  down  while  he  helped  his  mate  to 
run  the  table  up  the  stanchions  on  which  it  slidecl,  and  to 
raise  the  trap-door.  When  this  was  lifted  I  peered  down 
and  noticed  a  row  of  steps  nailed  to  a  narrow  bulkhead, 
and  the  rays  of  the  lantern  piercing  the  blackness  faintly 
disclosed  the  outlines  of  a  number  of  chests,  bales,  casks, 
etc.,  carefully  stowed  and  apparently  ranging  forward  past 
the  narrow  bulkhead  on  either  hand  to  a  considerable  dis- 
tance. 

The  Frenchman  approached  and  looked  down  the  trap- 
hatch  for  a  few  seconds,  and  then  retired  to  the  end  of  the 
cabin,  and  seated  himself  with  his  arms  locked  upon  his 
breast. 

"This  man,"  said  I,  addressing  the  seamen,  "tells  me 
that  there  are  chests  down  there  full  of  silver.  Try  the 
weight  of  one  of  them,  and  also  look  about  you  for  some 
boxes  of  cigars." 

One  of  them  dropped  through  the  trap,  and  the  other, 
after  lowering  the  lantern,  followed.  With  their  bodies 
curved  so  that  they  looked  on  all-fours,  and  the  lantern 
jerking  the  shadows  of  their  faces  here  and  there  as  they 
crawled  about,  the  men  rummaged  as  only  sailors  can, 
squeezing  themselves  into  narrow  corners,  and  accommodat- 


THE  DROIT  MARITIME.  193 

ing  their  bodies  to  all  manner  of  excruciating  angles,  puff- 
ing and  blowing  as  they  groped,  and  squirting  tobacco-juice 
right  and  left,  while  through  the  stillness  of  the  hold  one 
could  hear  the  gurgling  of  the  passing  water,  and  the  sharp 
jar  of  the  rudder  on  its  pintles. 

"Here  be  the  seegars,  sir,  I  think!"  presently  shouted 
out  one  of  them;  "aye,  dozens  on  'em!"  and  prizing  open 
the  batten  of  what  looked  like  a  crate,  he  forked  up  a  box 
of  cheroots. 

"I  can  guarantee  them  fresh  from  the  Manillas,  sir," 
said  the  Frenchman  from  his  corner. 

"  Will  you  please  help  yourself?"  said  I,  giving  him  the 
box. 

He  opened  the  lid  with  the  prong  of  a  fork,  and  lighted 
a  cigar,  saying,  as  he  resumed  his  seat,  that  tobacco  was 
the  best  remedy  for  despair. 

"It's  blasted  hot  down  here,  sir!"  bawled  one  of  the 
men.  "There's  no  moving  of  these  cases,  sir.  Might  as 
well  try  to  lift  a  first-rate's  bower." 

However,  I  was  determined  to  test  the  truth  of  the 
Frenchman's  statement,  and  told  Ransom  to  send  Parell  aft 
with  a  hammer  and  prizing-bar. 

"What  do  you  make  in  those  canvas  bundles,  men?" 
said  I.  "  Snip  a  bit  of  the  lacing,  but  mind  how  you  do 
it." 

This  was  done. 

"Why,  what  the  deuce  is  it?  yellow  bunting?"  I  called. 

They  thumbed  it,  and  peered  at  it  and  smelt  it,  and  then 
rattled  out: 

"It's  yaller  silk,  your  honor — like  what  you  see  in 
Chaney,  sir!" 

And  so  it  was,  thousands  of  yards  of  it,  packed  (as  only 
the  Chinese  can  pack)  in  fine  canvas  covers.  I  turned  to 
the  Frenchman,  who  sat  with  his  legs  crossed,  and  his  head 
thrown  back,  stroking  his  mustache,  and  puffing  out  to- 
bacco-smoke. 

"  You  have  evidently  the  cargo  of  an  East  Indiaman  in 
this  hold?" 

"The   richest   part   of   it,  monsieur;    silver,  silk,  some 
chests  of  ivory,  and  about  sixteen  tons  of  tea.     The  rest 
we  left  in  the  prize." 
13 


194  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

" A  nice  little  haul  for  the  Tigress!"  thought  I;  and  I 
was  nearly  shouting  "Hurrah!" 

Presently  appeared  Parell  with  the  implements  I  had 
directed  him  to  bring.  The  lamplight  glistened  in  his 
perspiring  face,  and  I  noticed  the  honest  fellow  bestow  a 
distrustful  scowl  on  the  French  mate  after  letting  his  eyes 
rest  on  the  grim  decorations  of  the  cabin-ceiling. 

I  gave  him  the  Frenchman's  report  of  the  contents  of  the 
hold,  and  bade  him  jump  below  and  open  one  of  the  heavy 
chests  that  we  might  prove  the  value  of  the  capture  by  our 
own  eyesight.  His  face  cleared  when  I  talked  of  ivory 
and  silver  and  silk,  and  swinging  himself  down  the  trap, 
he  fell  to  work  upon  one  of  the  heavy  chests,  and  after 
some  mighty  hard  hammering — for  the  corners  were  strongly 
clapped  with  iron — wedged  open  a  split  board.  The  lantern 
was  raised,  and  the  light  sparkled  upon  a  surface  of  white 
coined  silver. 

"  That  will  do,"  said  I.     "  Keplace  that  board,  Parell." 

The  three  of  them  came  out  of  the  hold,  the  trap  was 
closed,  and  the  table  lowered. 

"  Here,  Ransom,  give  Parell  and  these  two  men  a  glass 
of  grog  apiece.     How  does  the  schooner  bear,  Parell?" 

"  Steady  on  the  starboard  bow,  sir. " 

"  We  Tigresses  are  in  luck,  men.  If  you  add  this  cap- 
ture to  the  corvette,  our  pockets  won't  hold  our  shares." 

"Ay,  sir,"  answered  Parell,  "and  I  reckon  the  gells  have 
the  news  already,  for  they've  got  the  tow-ropes  in  their 
hands,  and  the  two  wessels  are  giving  'em  all  they  can  do 
to  haul  in  the  slack." 

Here  they  drank  my  health. 

I  sent  the  men  forward  to  give  the  news  of  the  value  of 
the  prize  to  their  shipmates. 

"  And  mind,  Parell, "  said  I,  "  to  keep  a  strong  guard  at 
both  hatches,  and  on  no  account  allow  our  men  to  converse 
with  the  English  prisoners — that  is,  when  the  brutes  are 
sober  enough  to  talk." 

"I  hope  monsieur  is  satisfied  that  I  spoke  the  truth," 
said  the  French  mate  when  the  men  had  left  the  cabin. 

"Perfectly  satisfied,"  I  responded,  lighting  my  pipe  in 
preference  to  a  cheroot,  for,  of  all  abominations,  the  flavor 
of  Manilla  tobacco  is  to  me  the  greatest. 


THE  DROIT  MARITIME.  195 

"  Were  you  ever  in  France,  sir?" 

"Never." 

"  Nor  I  in  England.  I  would  to  God  that  my  first  visit 
to  your  country  were  under  other  circumstances !  I  have 
heard  that  your  prisons  are  detestable,  though  your  jailers 
are  more  humane  than  ours." 

"  You  must  look  forward  to  a  speedy  exchange,"  said  I. 

"Not  as  corsair!"  he  exclaimed  vehemently,  with  a 
sweeping  passionate  gesture  of  the  hand.  "  Monsieur,  who 
has  a  kind  heart,  will  doubly  pity  me  when  he  hears  that  I 
have  been  married  but  one  little  year.  My  poor  wife  called 
to  me  when  I  was  leaving  the  house  the  last  time,  crying, 
'Jean,  our  baby  is  awake;  come  and  kiss  its  eyes  before 
thougoest.'  My  house  is  near  the  cathedral ;  and  when  I 
was  nearly  swooning  in  that  abominable  forecastle  before 
your  men  admitted  the  air,  there  were  two  sounds  ringing 
in  my  ears — the  cathedral  bells,  which  were  chiming  as  I 
turned  back  and  leaned  over  my  baby's  cradle,  and  the  cry 
of  the  little  one  as  it  was  fretted  or  frightened  by  this  iron 
beard,"  taking  his  chin  in  his  hand  and  looking  at  me  with 
the  tears  in  his  eyes. 

"Are  these  crocodile  tears?"  thought  I,  for  truly,  to  be- 
hold such  sentimental  drops  on  his  dark  fierce  visage  was 
as  confusing  to  all  theories  of  "  fitness"  as  the  association 
of  the  homely  sweetness  of  wife  and  baby — of  the  spiritual 
gentleness  of  marital  and  paternal  love,  with  the  scowling, 
be-sashed  and  be-ringed  figure  of  the  maritime  bravo. 

"Will  monsieur  listen  tome?"  he  suddenly  exclaimed, 
dropping  his  cigar  on  the  deck,  and  clasping  and  extending 
his  hands  with  a  gesture  of  moving  energy.  "  I  have  at 
my  house,  at  St.  Malo,  a  sum  of  fifteen  hundred  pounds 
(livres),  the  whole  of  which  I  would  give  for  my  liberty." 

I  smoked  my  pipe  in  silence. 

"Monsieur,"  he  continued,  after  a  short  pause,  and 
speaking  with  such  intensity — to  use  the  only  word  that 
expresses  the  concentration  of  purpose  in  his  voice — that, 
like  a  physical  effort,  which  indeed  you  may  be  willing  to 
reckon  it,  it  bedewed  his  forehead  with  large  sweat-drops, 
and  kindled  an  extraordinary  brightness  in  his  black  eyes 
— "  is  it  impossible  for  you  to  enrol  me  amongst  your  crew 
—to  exclude  me  from  the  prisoners  you  will  send  ashore?" 


196         AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

"Impossible,"  I  interrupted  with  a  sternness  I  did  not 
care  to  conceal,  seeing  what  his  entreaties  were  leading  to, 
and  rising  as  I  spoke. 

He  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  flashed  a  look  at  the  weapons 
over  his  head.  The  menace  was  more  than  I  could  brook. 
I  whipped  the  pistol  from  my  pocket,  and  pointing  it  to- 
ward the  companion-steps,  I  told  him  to  be  good  enough  to 
go  on  deck.  He  made  a  stiff  inclination  of  the  head,  and 
with  a  light  defiant  swing  of  the  body  ascended  the  ladder, 
I  at  his  heels;  and  it  was  with  a  feeling  of  real  relief  that 
I  saw  him  walk  to  the  main-hatch  and  jerk  himself  down 
among  his  fellow-captives.  Such  was  the  abrupt  ending  of 
my  well-meant  kindness;  but  in  truth  I  was  getting  tired 
of  the  man,  and  my  stock  of  French  was  all  but  expended. 

Calling  Parell  to  me,  I  bade  him  increase  the  guard  at 
the  main-hold  by  two  men,  and  to  train  one  of  the  smaller 
carronades  against  the  aftercoaming,  so  that  our  friends 
might  understand  that  though  we  did  not  intend  to  stifle 
them,  we  had  no  intention  of  giving  them  their  own  way 
either. 

"  Is  there  any  movement  among  the  men  in  the  fore- 
castle, Parell?" 

"  There's  a  lot  of  snoring  going  on,  sir,  and  one  of  'em 
shouted  out  just  now,  but  I  don't  reckon  he  meant  it,  or 
knew  that  he  did  it.  Yet  I  fancy  they's  be  rallying  soon, 
for  they  seems  to  be  growing  oneasy.  They'll  be  sure  to 
wake  up  parched  thirsty,  sir.  If  they  ax  for  water,  are 
they  to  have  it,  sir?" 

"  Certainly ;  and  you  had  better  get  a  small  cask  filled 
ready  for  lowering  down  to  them,  along  with  some  panni- 
kins." 

I  filled  my  pipe  again  and  walked  aft.  The  new  moon 
was  hanging  over  the  sea  in  the  west,  and  the  breeze  had 
freshened  with  the  darkness.  The  black  form  of  the 
schooner  hung  steadily  on  the  weather-bow ;  they  had  fixed 
a  lantern  on  her  taffrail,  the  import  of  which  I  thoroughly 
understood,  and  she  was  leading  me  on  a  course  from  which 
I  judged  it  was  Shelvocke's  intention  to  fetch  Plymouth. 

It  was  a  novel  sensation  to  me  to  gaze  around  on  the 
unfamiliar  deck  of  the  lugger,  and  at  the  immense  lugs 
which  swelled  out  overhead.     She  was  sweeping  through 


THE  DROIT  MARITIME.  197 

the  water  in  grand  style,  churning  up  twice  as  much  foam 
as  the  schooner  threw  up  at  her  fastest,  and  to  have  looked 
over  the  sides  and  the  stern  at  the  tremendous  spread  of 
rushing  froth,  that  widened  away  into  the  darkness  like 
the  tail  of  a  comet,  one  would-  have  supposed  our  pace 
something  unheard-of.  But  what  were  my  feelings  when, 
my  sight  having  got  used  to  the  gloom,  I  perceived  that 
the  Tigress  was  keeping  her  distance  and  holding  her  sta- 
tion under  her  mainsail,  jib,  and  staysail  only!  I  never 
felt  prouder  of  the  beautiful  craft  than  at  that  moment. 
All  the  renown  that  the  French  luggers  had  obtained  was 
almost  entirely  centred  in  their  speed,  for  their  cowardice 
was  a  by-word  among  English  seamen ;  they  bolted  from 
the  sight  of  the  smallest  cruiser,  and  limited  their  depre- 
dations to  the  badly  armed  merchantmen.  But  here  was 
as  powerful  a  lugger  as  St.  Malo  had  ever  equipped  and 
dispatched,  with  all  sail  clouded  and  with  the  wind  right 
abeam,  so  that  every  cloth  was  drawing,  unable  to  keep 
pace  with  the  Tigress,  who  showed  only  a  third  of  the  can- 
vas she  could  unfold. 

Our  prisoners  filled  the  sleeping-quarters  of  the  lugger, 
and  my  men  had  therefore  to  take  their  rest  upon  deck; 
but  this  was  no  hardship  on  a  fine  warm  night.  Some  of 
the  seamen  had  already  disposed  themselves  near  the  guns 
and  under  the  bulwarks,  with  coils  of  ropes  for  their  pil- 
lows, their  cutlasses  upon  their  hips  and  pistols  in  their 
belts;  while  at  least  twenty  others  kept  watch  at  the 
hatches,  or  stumped  the  sloping  deck  of  the  forecastle  on 
the  lookout. 

I  kept  watch  until  midnight,  during  all  which  time  the 
breeze  remained  steady,  and  the  schooner  held  her  station 
with  remarkable  precision  ahead.  I  then  roused  Parell, 
who  slept  with  enviable  soundness  in  a  sitting  posture, 
with  his  back  against  the  skylight,  and  told  him  to  take 
the  lookout  while  I  lay  down.  But  first  I  visited  both 
hatches  and  listened :  all  was  still  in  the  Frenchmen's  quar- 
ters, though  once  I  fancied  I  heard  the  sound  of  a  hoarse 
whisper ;  but  it  might  have  been  the  chafing  of  the  sheet 
of  the  great  main-lug,  whose  foot  arched  transversely  across 
the  wide  deck.  From  the  forecastle,  however,  there  arose 
various  sounds  of  gurgling  and  sleepy  grumbling,  with  an 


198  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

occasional  hoarse  and  barking  yawn,  and  two  of  the  bestial 
inmates  called  to  one  another,  but  in  such  drunken  accents 
that  I  gave  no  heed  to  what  was  said. 

"Keep  a  smart  eye  upon  these  fellows,  men,"  I  said  to 
the  sentries.  "  When  they  come  to  they  will  want  closer 
watching  than  the  Frenchmen." 

And  so  saying,  I  went  aft,  and  pitching  on  a  spot  near 
the  tiller,  I  spread  a  big  French  ensign  for  a  mattress,  and 
lay  down  upon  it,  being  much  too  anxious  to  bury  myself 
in  the  cabin. 

It  was  this  anxiety,  I  suppose,  that  put  it  into  my  head 
to  compare  the  interior  of  the  lugger  to  a  volcano,  and 
assuredly  the  comparison  was  sufficiently  apt,  seeing  the 
mass  of  human  combustibles  that  rilled  it.  But  the  fancy 
set  me  dreaming  of  a  volcano,  to  whose  summit  I  had 
climbed  with  very  great  labor,  for  no  other  object  than  to 
be  able  to  say  I  had  sat  upon  it.  I  was  enjoying  the  pros- 
pect of  smiling  country  that  stretched  around,  and  specu- 
lating upon  the  nature  and  causes  of  volcanoes  quite  as 
cleverly,  I  dare  say,  as  many  wide-awake  philosophers, 
when  I  felt  the  mountain  throb  under  me  very  much  as 
though  some  imprisoned  giant  was  hammering  inside,  and 
I  began  to  topple  about  in  my  seat.  The  smiling  country 
grew  rather  tipsy,  and  cut  a  variety  of  ornamental  capers. 
I  held  on  in  a  high  state  of  alarm,  while  I  was  jerked 
about  like  a  man  astride  of  the  hump  of  a  terrified  camel. 
"Good  Lord!"  thought  I.  A  volume  of  smoke  rushed  up 
all  around  me,  accompanied  by  a  tremendous  explosion,  that 
was  no  doubt  intended  to  drive  me  several  miles  high  in  the 
air,  had  I  not  cheated  my  ingenious  imagination  by  opening 
my  eyes  and  springing  to  my  feet. 

"  What  was  that?" 

The  whole  of  my  men  were  standing  in  groups  near  the 
hatches,  but  the  crowd  was  densest  at  the  forecastle,  through 
whose  open  hatch  there  issued  the  muffled  but  hellish  din  of 
a  fierce  struggle.     I  rushed  forward. 

"What  is  it,  men?"  I  shouted. 

"  The  Frenchmen  have  broken  into  the  forecastle,  and 
aTe  killing  the  Englishmen!"  was  the  answer. 

The  uproar  that  had  reached  me  with  a  subdued  note  in 
the  after  part  of  the  vessel  was  fearfully  distinct  here. 


THE  DROIT  MARITIME.  199 

But  the  full  horror  of  it  did  not  strike  me  until  my  men 
had  opened  a  passage  and  enabled  me  to  get  close  to  the 
hatch,  down  which  I  looked.  Parell  held  a  lantern,  but 
the  gleams  penetrated  the  gloom  but  a  short  distance,  and 
merely  revealed  now  and  again  the  glimmering  figures  of 
men  tearing  at  one  another  like  wild  beasts,  while  the 
whole  interior  of  the  lugger  rang  with  shrieks  and  drunken 
yells,  and  the  crunching  of  bodies  flung  against  the  massive 
bulkheads  and  sides  of  the  vessel. 

"Madmen!"  I  shouted,  "back  to  your  quarters,  or,  by 
heaven,  I  will  sweep  the  hold  with  grape!  Men!  train  a 
carronade  forward — depress  the  muzzle  into  the  forecastle!" 
The  slide  roared  along  the  deck  as  it  was  dragged  up  to 
the  hatch  with  a  force  that  nearly  ripped  up  the  coaming. 
I  had  hoped  the  sound  would  still  the  monstrous  combat; 
but,  like  oil  upon  fire,  it  only  appeared  to  make  it  rage 
more  furiously. 

"Parell!  lower  that  lantern!  small-arms  men,  take  aim 
and  shoot  every  Frenchman  you  can  distinguish." 

The  boatswain's  mate  bent  a  rope's  end  on  to  the  lantern, 
and  lowered  it;  scarcely  had  it  sunk  three  feet  below  the 
deck  when  a  blow  shivered  it  into  fragments,  and  the  light 
was  extinguished.  What  was  to  be  done?  It  would  have 
been  sheer  and  brutal  murder  to  fire  among  the  seething 
mass  who  fought  and  yelled  amid  the  blackness;  but  the 
consideration  that  the  men  whom  the  Frenchmen  had  fallen 
upon  were  half  of  them  stupefied  with  drink,  and  that  they 
were  but  sixteen  opposed  to  twenty-five,  so  infuriated  our 
seamen  that  Parell  and  myself  had  to  threaten  them  with 
loaded  pistols  to  stop  them  from  leaping  into  the  forecastle 
to  aid  the  English. 

"Bring  another  lantern,"  I  shouted.  "Parell,  take  fif- 
teen men  and  get  down  the  main-hatch,  and  carry  a  couple 
of  lanterns  with  you.  You  will  take  the  prisoners  in  the 
flank,  and  shoot  every  man  who  refuses  to  come  out  of  the 
forecastle." 

This  order  was  immediately  executed.  Meanwhile  a 
second  lantern  had  been  lowered  down  the  forehatch  by  a 
seaman,  who  covered  the  light  with  a  pistol.  The  horrible 
struggle  still  raged,  and  I  thought  it  the  more  deadly  be- 
cause it  had  become  less  noisy.     The  combatants  had  no 


200  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

other  weapons  than  their  hands,  but  by  the  dim  lantern- 
light  I  could  perceive  that  they  fought  with  their  teeth  and 
feet  as  well  as  their  fists;  and  what  with  the  drunken 
ferocity  of  the  Englislmien  on  one  side,  and  the  mad  re- 
vengeful spirit  of  the  Frenchmen  on  the  other,  the  scene  of 
grappling  and  twisting  figures,  of  motionless  bodies  stamped 
upon  as  a  laborer  beats  down  the  earth  with  his  hob-nailed 
boots,  or  wrestling  forms  wdiirling  into  the  sphere  of  the 
rays  and  vanishing  into  the  darkness  beyond,  aided  by  the 
snapping  of  teeth,  the  groans  of  the  wounded,  the  fierce 
breathing,  the  sudden  thrilling  cries  of  pain,  was  one  of 
such  abounding  horror  as  no  man  could  imagine  the  like  of 
who  had  not  witnessed  it. 

"Let  ten  men  follow  me!"  I  sung  out.  "Use  your  cut- 
lasses only.  Hold  that  lantern  steady,  my  man,  and  jump 
down  with  it  as  we  drive  the  prisoners  aft!  The  rest  re- 
main to  guard  the  hatches." 

Snatching  a  cutlass  from  the  hand  of  one  of  the  seamen, 
I  sprang  into  the  forecastle  with  a  string  of  Tigresses  after 
me.  It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  scene  that  followed. 
It  was  one  of  those  wild,  impetuous,  confused  struggles 
which  give  a  man  no  chance  of  noticing  what  happens. 
My  object  was  to  drive  the  prisoners  out  of  the  narrow 
forecastle  into  the  roomier  'tween-decks,  where  we  should 
at  least  find  space  to  swing  our  arms  in.  The  instant  I 
gained  my  feet  I  fell  sprawling  over  a  body ;  but  quickly 
recovering  myself,  and  making  a  sweeping  blow  with  the 
flat  of  my  cutlass  at  the  arms  of  a  ferocious  Englishman 
who  was  probably  still  too  drunk  to  distinguish  between 
friends  and  foes,  and  who  was  levelling  his  huge  claws  at 
my  throat,  I  formed  the  men  into  a  line,  and  by  dint  of 
thrusting  with  our  hands  and  feet  and  pricking  with  our 
cutlasses,  we  bodily  drove  the  combatants  past  the  fittings 
of  the  bulkhead,  which  the  Frenchmen — who  knew  their 
vessel  better  than  we — had  removed,  where,  as  they  ar- 
rived, they  were  seized  by  Parell's  men  and  pinioned  with 
lines  flung  down  the  hatchway  for  the  purpose.  The 
Frenchmen  offered  no  resistance,  but  the  English  fought 
like  cats,  and  when  their  arms  were  bound  behind  them 
and  their  legs  secured  they  snapped  at  my  men  with  their 
teeth,  and  spat  at  them  in  the  impotence  of  their  passion. 


THE  DROIT  MARITIME.  201 


In  truth,  they  were  rendered  perfect  devils  by  the  drink; 
they  took  us  to  be  a  portion  of  the  Frenchmen  who  had 
broken  in  on  their  drunken  sleep,  and  their  brute  courage 
operating  as  an  instinct,  and  being  all  of  them  very  power- 
ful men,  we  had  so  much  difficulty  in  pinioning  them  that 
I  was  in  momentary  fear  of  the  temper  of  the  Tigresses,  and 
had  several  times  to  warn  them  not  to  use  their  cutlasses. 

The  lanterns  illuminated  an  extraordinary  picture.  On 
one  side  of  the  deck  were  the  Frenchmen,  some  of  them 
bound  back  to  back,  some  singly  pinioned,  standing  or  sit- 
ting, their  quick  savage  breathing  filling  the  hollow  'tween- 
decks  with  a  sharp  rushing  noise,  many  of  them  covered 
with  blood,  their  clothes  half  torn  from  their  backs,  and 
whole  clouds  of  steam  issuing  from  their  bodies,  as  you 
may  have  seen  the  smoke  rising  from  the  hide  of  a  driven 
horse  on  a  winter's  day.  On  the  opposite  or  starboard  side 
were  the  Englishmen,  a  small  and  brutal-looking  band, 
writhing  on  their  bellies,  or  straining  at  their  bindings  as 
they  lay  prostrate  on  their  backs,  but  every  man  bound  by 
turn  upon  turn  of  rope  round  his  limbs,  so  as  to  resemble 
a  mummy,  or,  better  still,  a  fly  after  the  spider  has  re- 
volved him  two  or  three  times. 

I  do  believe  that  a  low  inebriated"  Briton— this  word 
gives  a  place  to  Pat  as  well  as  John  Bull — offers  the  ugliest 
picture  of  intoxication  that  can  be  found  the  whole  world 
over.  Frenchmen,  Spaniards,  Italians,  Bussians — I  am 
speaking  of  the  lowest  orders — may  be  more  malignant 
and  dangerous  in  their  cups;  but  for  vileness,  vulgarity, 
brutality  of  language  and  conduct,  and  for  a  remarkable 
capacity  of  making  every  hair  on  his  head  and  every  rag  on 
his  back,  and  the  very  toes  which  peer  out  of  his  broken 
boots  look  as  drunk  as  his  eyes,  face,  limbs,  and  motions, 
the  low-bred  Briton,  who  never  will  be  a  slave— except  to 
the  bottle — is  without  a  rival.  There  lay  these  reeking 
savages,  shouting  and  cursing,  and  rolling  their  horrid  eyes 
about  them,  and  working  themselves  into  a  white-hot  fury 
as  they  struggled  in  vain  to  free  their  arms  and  legs.  Ex- 
postulations, entreaties,  commands,  were  of  no  earthly  use- 
like  savage  beasts  they  would  have  continued  yelling  at  us 
with  the  muzzles  of  our  muskets  at  their  foreheads. 

Some  of  them   had  received  terrible  injuries ;    like  the 


202  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

Frenchmen  they  were  covered  with  blood,  and  their  clothes 
were  in  ribbons.  I  counted  them  and  found  the  number 
eleven,  while  three  of  the  Frenchmen  were  missing.  .,  Fol- 
lowed by  Parell  I  entered  the  forecastle,  observing  as  I  did 
so  that  the  bulkhead  consisted  of  stout  movable  panels,  the 
removal  of  which  left  a  clear  space  from  the  mainmast  to 
the  head  of  the  vessel;  and  here  lay  a  number  of  bodies. 
I  never  would  have  believed  it  possible  that  unarmed  human 
beings  could  mutilate  their  fellow-creatures  to  the  extent 
these  prostrate  figures  indicated.  To  look  upon  the  torn 
flesh  and  broken  limbs  one  would  have  imagined  that  half 
a  dozen  jaguars  had  been  at  work.  The  curses  and  cries 
and  barking  sounds  uttered  by  the  Englishmen  beyond  the 
bulkhead  added  a  new  element  of  horror  to  the  ghastly 
scene,  and  the  men  who  had  followed  us  stood  looking  on 
with  pale  faces  and  aghast  expressions,  as  Parell,  holding 
a  lantern,  moved  about  this  floating  charnel-house,  exam- 
ining the  countenances  of  the  bodies. 

However,  it  was  necessary  for  a  second  time  to  clear  this 
dismal  and  tragical  forecastle,  and  the  bodies  were  accord- 
ingly handed  up  and  placed  in  a  row  on  the  deck.  A 
strong  muster  of  our  seamen  then  seized  the  English  prison- 
ers, and  dragged  them,  howling  and  shouting,  and  bound 
as  they  were,  into  the  forecastle;  the  bulkhead  was  re- 
placed, and  a  guard  stationed  to  keep  the  two  gangs  of  cap- 
tives separated. 

I  went  on  deck  with  a  reeling  step  and  a  giddy  head. 
My  nerves  had  stood  the  carnage  of  the  forecastle,  the 
struggle,  the  sight  of  the  wounded  men,  the  monstrous 
spectacle  of  the  bleeding  and  torn  Englishmen;  but  the 
scene  of  dead  illumined  by  the  wavering  rays  of  the  lan- 
tern had  nearly  proved  too  much  for  me,  and  I  leaned 
against  the  mizzenmast  trembling  like  a  half-drowned 
poodle.  But  the  cool  night  air  braced  me  up,  and  a  glass 
of  grog,  which  I  ordered  the  boy  to  smuggle  through  the 
skylight,  gave  me  back  my  old  strength. 

"Well,  Parell,"  said  I,  as  the  honest  fellow,  catching 
sight  of  me,  came  over  to  where  I  stood,  "  what  of  those 
miserable  creatures?     Are  they  all  dead?" 

"Two  of  them  are  alive,  sir,"  he  answered;  "but  the 
rest  look  to  be  clean  done  for." 


THE  DROIT  MARITIME.  203 

"Who  could  have  supposed  that  a  movable  bulkhead 
divided  the  men !  Why,  this  is  ten  times  worse  than  an 
engagement.  How  goes  the  time?"  I  looked  at  my  watch. 
"  Ten  minutes  to  two.  I  had  a  mind  to  signal  the  schooner 
and  hail  her  to  send  the  surgeon;  but  we  shall  be  having 
daylight  soon,  and  meanwhile  we  will  wait  to  see  if  more 
of  those  bodies  there  show  any  signs  of  life." 

And  when  daylight  at  last  broke,  never  was  the  dawn- 
ing gray  of  the  east  more  gladly  welcomed  by  me.  I 
watched  the  horizon  darkening  into  a  deep  black  line 
against  the  pallid  heaven,  and  the  gradual  unfolding  of  the 
waters  away  on  the  port  beam,  and  the  slow  shifting  of  the 
sky  from  the  cold  indigo  of  night  into  a  tender  azure  that 
was  growing  pink  in  the  east,  until  at  last  the  whole  sur- 
face of  the  restless  and  creaming  deep  was  exposed,  with 
the  sloping  form  of  the  schooner  ahead  trailing  a  long  line 
of  snow  astern  of  her,  and  the  foam  falling  away  from  her 
weather  side,  and  her  cloud-like  canvas  swelling  from  the 
tapering  spars  whose  topmost  points  presently  caught  the 
silver  fire  of  the  rising  sun,  and  as  the  glorious  luminary 
sailed  above  the  sea,  there  flashed  star-like  points  of  ex- 
ceeding brilliance  upon  the  schooner's  bright  masts  and  in  her 
streaming  sides,  and  the  sallow  hue  of  her  canvas  changed 
into  a  glossy  whiteness,  like  the  breast  of  the  albatross. 
"Ah,  Master  Shelvocke,"  thought  I,  with  something  like  a 
pang  of  envy,  "  little  wot  you  of  the  hideous  nightmare 
your  prize  crew  and  their  officer  have  been  forced  to 
dream  this  blessed  night,  now  most  mercifully  gone!" 

I  called  to  one  of  the  men: 

"  Hoist  this  French  flag  at  the  main.  So — let  it  blow 
out  a  few  feet  below  the  truck." 

The  signal  was  immediately  answered  on  the  Tigress  by 
the  ensign  at  the  peak ;  the  cleAv  of  her  mainsail  was  hauled 
up,  her  jibsheet  flowed,  and  presently  the  tAvo  vessels  were 
side  by  side. 

"  Schooner  ahoy!" 

"Hallo!"  shouted  Chestree,  who  stood  on  the  lee  bul- 
warks with  his  arm  around  a  backstay. 

"  There  has  been  an  affray  between  the  French  and  Eng- 
lish prisoners.  Eight  men  killed  and  wounded.  Send 
Corney  aboard.     I  will  heave  to  when  you  are  ready." 


204  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

He  tossed  his  hands  with  a  gesture  of  amazement.  Pres- 
ently the  boatswain's  pipe  sounded,  and  at  the  same  mo- 
ment Shelvocke's  fine  figure  upreared  itself  on  the  rail. 

"You  can  heave  to,  Mr.  Madison!"  he  shouted,  his 
powerful  voice  coming  down  upon  the  wind  like  a  bugle- 
call.  A  boat  was  lowered,  and  in  a  few  minutes  Corney 
stepped  on  board  the  lugger. 

I  had  no  fancy  to  attend  the  surgeon  while  he  examined 
the  bodies,  and  therefore  stood  leaning  over  the  lugger's 
side  watching  the  Tigress  as  she  lay  with  her  sails  quiver- 
ing in  the  wind,  gently  pitching  upon  the  emerald-green 
seas. 

After  some  time  Corney  came  aft  and  told  me  that  only 
two  of  the  men  were  alive. 

"I  never  saw  death  in  a  more  terrible  form,"  said  he, 
evidently  much  shocked.  "They  must  have  fought  like 
fiends.  Had  a .  bluelight  burned  in  the  forecastle  when 
these  men  were  fighting,  looking  down  the  hatchway  Avould 
have  been  like  peering  into  the  infernal  regions. 

"It  was  like  hell  itself,  Corney.  It  wanted  no  blue- 
light." 

"  I  would  recommend  the  bodies  to  be  thrown  overboard 
at  once,  Mr.  Madison." 

I  gave  the  necessary  instructions,  and  then  proceeded  to 
acquaint  Corney,  for  the  information  of  Shelvocke,  with 
the  value  of  the  lugger;  whereat  the  consternation  that  the 
sight  of  the  dead  had  raised  in  him  melted  out  of  his  face, 
and  was  replaced  by  an  extravagant  grin  of  satisfaction. 

"One  hundred  thousand  dollars!"  cried  he.  "  And  ivory 
and  tea,  and  silk,  too!  God  bless  my  heart!  If  this  goes 
on,  I  shall  be  able  to  fling  my  surgical  instruments  over- 
board." 

He  waited  until  the  dead  had  been  dropped  over  the  side, 
and  then  returned  to  the  schooner,  singing  out  to  the  boat's 
crew,  as  he  flopped  into  the  sternsheets,  that  the  lugger 
was  full  of  minted  silver  and  silk  and  ivory,  and  begging 
them  to  give  way,  so  that  the  news  might  be  immediately 
given  to  the  captain.  As  soon  as  he  had  shoved  off,  the 
sails  of  the  lugger  were  trimmed,  and  we  were  once  more 
pushing  through  the  sparkling  waters. 

It  was  an  amazingly  inspiriting  morning,  and  my  men, 


THE  DROIT  MARITIME.  205 

in  spite  of  their  hard  night's  watching,  were  in  high  spirits 
as  they  bustled  to  and  fro,  clearing  up  the  decks,  and 
cracking  marine  witticisms  on  the  guns  and  rigging  of  the 
lugger,  and  peering  into  the  hatchways,  some  of  them 
stripped  to  their  waists  forward,  dashing  buckets  of  water 
over  one  another,  while  others  lighted  the  fire  in  the  little 
caboose  for  breakfast. 

I  watched  the  Tigress  hoist  in  her  boat,  and  fall  off 
before  the  wind  and  come  tearing  after  us,  with  the  bright 
surges  bursting  away  in  smoke  from  her  keen  stem ;  and 
as  she  tore  past  us,  her  men  sprang  upon  the  bulwarks  and 
gave  three  hearty  cheers,  which  their  shipmates  in  the 
lugger  instantly  responded  to. 

'"Keep  her  smoking,  Madison!"  roared  Shelvocke ;  "both 
anchors  must  be  down  in  Cawsand  Bay  before  sunset." 

And  this  actually  happened;  for  at  four  o'clock  that 
afternoon  the  Tigress,  who  headed  us  by  about  a  mile, 
hoisted  her  ensign  and  fired  two  guns,  the  meaning  of 
which  was  presently  rendered  apparent  by  our  heaving  up 
a  blue  film  on  the  starboard  bow  that  proved  to  be  Bolt 
Head.  The  sun  was  setting  as,  under  a  press  of  sail  and 
with  a  strong  northeasterly  wind  blowing,  we  swept  along 
astern  of  the  schooner,  passed  Mewstone  Ledge,  with  Penlee 
Point  on  the  port  bow  and  the  shores  of  Cawsand  Bay 
looming  dark  against  the  red  evening  sky,  and  throwing 
into  noble  relief  a  fleet  of  eight  large  merchantmen  who 
were  riding  in  groups  upon  the  dark-blue  tumble. 

Plymouth  Sound  lay  open  to  us  with  lights  springing  up 
ashore  and  flashing  fitfully  across  the  running  waters,  as 
the  air  darkened  and  the  stars  sparkled  and  faded  among 
the  driving  clouds  like  the  revolving  lantern  of  a  beacon. 
Swirling  past  the  merchantmen  who  occupied  the  Bay  be- 
twixt Cawsand  and  the  Broady  Coves,  and  whose  forecastles 
were  crowded  with  men  who  watched  the  lugger  much  as  a 
crowd  of  flies  might  be  supposed  to  stare  at  a  captured 
spider,  we  rounded  to  under  the  stern  of  a  dashing  frigate 
and  let  go  our  anchors,  and  never  before  had  the  splash 
of  iron  flukes  and  the  tearing  of  the  hemp  through  the 
hawse-holes  fallen  more  gratefully  upon  my  ears. 

Shelvocke  boarded  the  frigate,  and  presently  returned, 
followed  by   her  launch,  pinnace,  and  first  cutter  full  of 


206  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

seamen  and  marines,  who,  to  my  inexpressible  comfort, 
cleared  the  two  vessels  of  their  prisoners,  and  carried  them 
away  to  the  port-admiral's  ship  up  Hamoaze;  and  within 
an  hour  and  a  half  of  our  bringing  up,  I  was  in  the  cabin 
of  the  Tigress  enjoying  a  good  supper,  some  excellent  cold 
grog,  and  a  lively  chat  with  my  worthy  captain. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

LADY    TEMPEST'S    BALL. 

The  hope  of  reaching  Brest  in  time  to  fetch  the  outward- 
bound  convoy  could  no  longer  be  indulged,  though,  con- 
sidering the  value  of  the  lugger,  none  of  us  had  any  fault 
to  find  with  the  cause  that  had  stopped  our  project.  Yet 
rich  as  the  prize  proved — her  cargo  being  actually  assessed 
at  thirty-five  thousand  pounds — no  capture  ever  gave  more 
trouble  than  that  of  the  Droit  Maritime.  The  owners  of 
the  polacre  brig  that  had  been  taken  by  the  Frenchmen  and 
sent  into  Granville,  claimed  the  lugger  and  cargo  on  the 
ground  that  she  was  in  possession  of  a  part  of  the  crew  of 
the  brig  when  we  boarded  her.  This  was  true;  but  our 
contention  was  that  the  said  crew,  at  the  time  we  boarded 
the  lugger,  were  drunk  and  incapable,  and  that  their  con- 
dition was  tantamount  to  the  virtual  abandonment  of  the 
vessel.  I  cannot  remember  more  of  the  arguments  of  the 
lawyers  than  this:  but  I  know  we  were  detained  three 
weeks  at  Plymouth,  during  which  time  I  must  have  kissed 
the  Bible  over  not  less  than  a  dozen  affidavits ;  and  I  got  so 
sick  at  last  of  the  visits  of  the  attorney,  that  whenever  I 
saw  him  coming  I  used  to  hide  myself.  I  may  as  well  say 
that  the  case  was  decided  by  Lord  Stowell,  some  months 
afterward,  in  Hannay's  favor;  but  what  become  of  the 
English  seamen,  who  in  my  opinion  richly  deserved  to  be 
hanged  for  the  death  of  the  wretched  Frenchmen,  I  did  not 
inquire  at  the  time,  and  so  cannot  now  say. 

While  we  lay  at  Plymouth,  the  Tigress  was  visited  by  a 
great  number  of  persons;  for  the  value  of  the  prize  and  the 
lawsuit  about  it  had  made  some  noise,  and  the  name  we  had 
earned  by  our  action  with  the  corvette  was  not  yet  forgotten. 

Among  half  a  dozen  invitations  received  by   Shelvocke 


208  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

and  myself  to  as  many  different  houses,  was  one  to  a  ball 
given  by  an  old  rich  knight,  in  celebration  of  a  remarkable 
victory  obtained  by  his  son,  who  commanded  an  English 
sloop-of-war,  over  two  large  French  frigates.  This  ball 
dates  the  beginning  of  as  romantic  an  experience  as  was 
probably  ever  encountered  by  a  sailor. 

Invitations  to  it  had  been  sent  out  for  the  night  preced- 
ing the  day  on  which  we  sailed;  and  as  I  was  immensely 
fond  of  dancing,  I  had  eagerly  looked  forward  to  this  chance 
of  having  a  regular  sailor's  frisk  with  a  lively  partner. 

"  Rather  unusual  for  privateersmen  to  be  asked  into  select 
companies,"  Shelvocke  had  said  to  me  dryly.  "Hope  we 
shan't  frighten  the  dandies." 

I  hoped  so  too ;  and  to  provide  against  any  likelihood  of 
a  scare,  we  took  some  trouble  over  our  togs ;  and  whatever 
figure  I  may  have  cut,  I  will  say  that  Shelvocke,  with  his 
masculine  rugged  breadth  of  forehead,  sunburnt  face, 
tawny  beard,  and  noble  stature,  that  was  improved  with 
the  inimitable  grace  of  the  sailor's  movements,  impressed 
me,  as  he  stepped  forth  in  full  fig,  as  one  of  the  hand- 
somest and  most  manly  creatures  it  had  ever  been  my  for- 
tune to  behold. 

It  is  so  many  years  since  I  was  at  Plymouth,  that  I 
cannot  clearly  recall  the  geographical  position  of  our  host's 
residence.  It  was  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  out  of  the 
town,  and  was  a  small  but  very  nobly  wooded  estate,  and 
the  house  like  a  castle.  The  owner,  Sir  William  Tempest, 
had  caused  the  beautiful  avenue  that  led  to  the  house  to  be 
hung  with  colored  paper  lanterns,  a  great  number  of  which 
glimmered  among  the  trees  which  extended  on  either  hand; 
and  the  effect  of  these  lights  twinkling  in  blues  and  greens 
and  yellows  among  the  deep  shadows,  and  the  dense  volumes 
of  the  lofty  trees  towering  against  the  bright  stars,  and  the 
newly  risen  moon  silvering  the  upper  stories  of  the  castel- 
lated building  and  lying  in  delicate  jasper-like  lines  upon 
the  lower  walls  which  received  the  pure  beam  through  an 
opening  here  and  there  in  the  trees,  and  the  contrast  of  the 
mellow  illumination  of  candles  upon  the  tall  windows  with 
the  vista  of  colored  lamps  along  which  the  eye  roved  to  the 
house— formed  a  night-scene  of  soft  and  peaceful  beauty 
that  was  immensely  heightened  to  the  senses  by  the  rich 


Lady  tempest's  ball.  20(j 

smell  of  leaves  and  dew-moistened  sward,  and  great  beds  of 
lilies  and  roses  and  other  sweet  dowers. 

We  were  among  the  late  arrivals;  co  that,  when  we  en- 
tered the  long  and  lofty  drawing-rooms,  we  found  nearly 
all  the  company  assembled,  and  many  persons  dancing  to  a 
capital  band  of  music.  Of  course,  two-thirds  at  least  of 
the  male?  were  naval  officers ;  and  their  sparkling  epaulets 
and  bright  buttons  and  laced  collars,  mingling  with  various 
military  costumes  and  black  civilian  coats,  and  the  gleaming 
satins  and  silks  and  the  white  shoulders  and  arms  and  the 
flashing  diamonds  and  the  flowers  of  the  ladies,  made  a 
brave  and  brilliant  show  under  the  blazing  candelabra  and 
the  rows  of  sconces. 

There  were  upward  of  two  hundred  people  present,  but 
the  large  rooms  would  have  held  another  hundred  without 
the  least  crushing.  The  walls  were  hung  with  banners, 
and  an  immense  red  English  ensign  drooped  at  each  end  of 
the  room;  and  in  a  large  recess  opposite  the  beautifully 
carved  old-fashioned  chimney  piece  there  was  an  emble- 
matic contrivance  that  was  probably  considered  appropriate 
to  the  occasion,  though  I  did  not  much  admire  the  taste 
that  suggested  it.  It  consisted  of  a  small  boat  carronade, 
with  a  cleverly  constructed  lay  figure  of  an  English  sea- 
man in  the  act  of  discharging  the  gun,  and  a  large  number 
of  projecting  poles,  on  which  were  suspended  the  flags  of 
all  nations,  the  whole  topped  by  a  tall  staff,  upon  which 
was  midway  hoisted  a  mutilated  French  flag,  and  above  it 
the  English  colors.  This  piece  of  nonsense  was  meant  to 
typify  Britain's  supremacy  over  all  the  countries  of  the 
world,  and  more  particularly  over  Monsieur  Crapeau. 
Some  of  the  naval  officers  appeared  to  admire  it,  but  for 
my  part,  as  I  have  said,  I  thought  it  a  twopenny  affair,  fit 
only  to  amuse  little  boys;  and  as  it  stood  upon  a  fragile 
draped  scaffold,  I  was  vicious  enough  to  hope  that  some  of 
the  dancers  would  capsize  it  before  the  night  was  out. 

We  were  received  with  great  kindness  by  Lady  Tempest, 
whose  white  hair,  fresh  complexion,  motherly  smile,  soft 
eyes,  and  winning  confidentiality  of  manner,  as  though  she 
had  so  much  to  say  and  would  so  immensely  enjoy  a  quiet 
chat  with  you,  made  her  one  of  the  pleasantest-looking  and 
nicest  old  ladies  a  man  could  wish  to  meet.  She  kept  us 
14 


210  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

talking  just  long  enough  to  mention  her  son's  name,  and  I 
could  have  hugged  Shelvocke  for  the  pleasure  he  gave  her 
by  his  hearty,  honest,  generous  applause  of  Captain  Tem- 
pest's gallant  conduct.  Then  her  husband,  a  timid,  gentle, 
little  old  man,  in  black  silk  stockings  and  metal  buttons  on 
his  long-tailed  coat,  came  up  and  welcomed  us,  and  took 
Shelvocke  over  to  a  knot  of  naval  officers,  while  her  lady- 
ship, catching  me  with  a  pretty  gesture  by  the  hand,  led 
me  up  to  a  haughty  young  person  who  was  studying  her 
fan  under  Jonathan's  stripes  and  stars. 

She  was  the  handsomest-dressed  woman  in  the  room,  and 
I  have  no  doubt  the  worst-tempered — quite  insolent  in  her 
questions ;  so  that  presently  I  grew  resentful,  and  learn- 
ing from  her  that  her  father  was  a  rear-admiral  and  a 
lord,  I  recollected  the  learned  Doctor  Samuel  Johnson's 
behavior  on  a  like  occasion,  and  said  that  although  I  was 
a  sailor,  I  never  pretended  to  be  anything  better  than  a 
pirate,  that  I  got  my  bread  by  plundering  merchant  ships 
and  dispatching  honest  men :  that  polite  people  termed  mo 
a  privateer,  but  that  I  liked  to  call  things  by  their  right 
names. 

After  this  we  danced  like  automatons,  and  she  then  asked 
me  to  be  good  enough  to  take  her  to  her  papa,  a  puffed-out, 
red-faced  old  man  in  an  embroidered  naval  uniform,  the 
breast  of  which  was  covered  with  decorations.  I  made  her 
a  low  bow,  which  she  returned  with  a  sublime  courtesy, 
the  overwhelming  sweepingness  of  which  was  no  doubt 
meant  to  cover  me  with  confusion  and  awe,  and  I  believe 
that  no  couple  ever  got  rid  of  each  other  more  rejoicingly 
than  she  and  I. 

Seeing  Shelvocke  standing  alone,  I  joined  him. 
"I  rather  suspected,"  said  he,  "that  when  the  epaulets 
found  me  out  they  would  serve  me  with  the  cold  shoulder. 
'Give  privateersmen  the  stem!'  is  the  cry,  you  know, 
among  those  fellows.  But  heaven  has  blessed  me  with  un- 
common fortitude,  and  success  teaches  patience." 

"Why  don't  you  dance,  captain?  There  are  surely 
enough  pretty  women  in  the  room  to  console  you  for  the 
neglect  of  your  own  sex." 

"The  reason  why  I  don't  dance  is  extremely  simple— I 
can't  dance.       By  the  way,  who,  think  you,  makes  one  of 


LADY  TEMPEST'S  BALL.  211 

yonder  group?"  indicating  with  a  movement  of  his  head 
the  officers  to  whom  Sir  William  had  introduced  him. 

I  looked,  and  answered  I  could  not  imagine. 

"  You  remember  the  surly  captain  of  the  frigate  who  left 
the  little  brig  to  do  all  the  hard  work,  and  missed  the 
French  liner  after  all?" 

"Perfectly  well." 

"  Well,  there  he  stands.  His  name  is  Monk — that  ring- 
faced  man  to  the  right  of  the  tall  gray -haired  chap." 

"I  see  him,  and  now  I  remember  his  face." 

"Singularly  enough,"  he  continued,  "they  were  talking 
of  this  very  engagement  when  Sir  William  introduced  me. 
I  heard  one  man  say,  'Monk,  your  Andromache  was  not  up 
to  the  mark:  her  Astyanax  was  not  saved  from  the  flames; 
'tis  a  bad  reading  of  your  "Iliad,"  but — '  1  lost  the  rest, 
but  the  word  Andromache  made  me  look  at  my  man,  and  I 
then  recollected  him." 

I  watched  Captain  Monk  while  Shelvocke  spoke,  and 
noticed  the  ludicrously  pompous  airs  he  gave  himself  as  he 
stood,  apparently  engrossing  all  the  conversation,  in  the 
midst  of  half  a  dozen  naval  men. 

"  You  remember  how  extremely  rude  the  fellow  was  when 
I  proffered  such  assistance  as  was  in  my  power?"  continued 
Shelvocke.  "  I  thought  of  his  impudent  boorish  manner  as 
I  listened  to  him  talking  about  his  action  with  the  French- 
man, and  determined  to  take  him  off  his  own  peg  and  hang 
him  upon  one  considerably  lower  clown.  So  addressing 
myself  to  him,  I  said  I  had  witnessed  the  action  from  the 
deck  of  a  privateer  1  had  the  honor  to  command— always 
put  on  a  cocked-hat,  Madison,  when  you  talk  of  your  own 
calling;  if  I  swept  a  crossing  my  broom  should  never  lack 
importance  from  my  lips; — and  that  I  was  much  impressed 
with  the  gallantry  with  which  the  vessels  swept  down  upon 
their  huge  opponent;  and  having  oiled  him  with  this  feather 
I  applied  the  clyster.  I  praised  the  brig  up  to  the  skies;  I 
said  it  was  deplorable  that  so  much  bravery  should  have 
been  left  unsupported  by  the  frigate;  I  should  have  been 
only  too  glad,"  I  continued,  "to  have  brought  the  schooner 
into  the  conflict  had  not  the  captain  of  the  brig  requested 
me  to  remain  a  looker-on,  and  I  explained  my  sensitiveness 
in  the  matter  of  interference  by  relating  the  story  of  our 


212  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

engagement  with  the  French  corvette;  there  was  no  lack  of 
courage  on  the  part  of  the  frigate,  said  I,  but  she  was  so 
unskilfully  handled  as  to  make  me  hope  in  the  interests  of 
the  naval  service  that  Captain  Monk  had  not  omitted  to 
represent  the  incompetency  of  the  sailing-master  in  his  dis- 
patch to  my  lords.  That  was  corrosive  enough,  wasn't  it, 
Madison?" 

I  laughed  and  thought  to  myself,  no  wonder  they  have 
given  him  the  cold  shoulder. 

"  You  would  have  split  your  sides  to  see  the  man's  face," 
said  Shelvocke.  "  One  or  two  of  the  officers  walked  away, 
either  afraid  of  their  gravity  or  of  a  'scene.'  But  there 
was  no  fear  of  the  latter.  I  was  much  too  courteous  for  a 
riot,  and  passed  my  criticism  so  interrogatively  that  I  be- 
lieve the  man  scarcely  knew  whether  I  talked  to  insult  him 
or  from  an  honest  thirst  for  information." 

At  this  moment  Sir  William  brought  up  a  middle-aged 
gentlemanly  man,  with  whom  Shelvocke  immediately  and 
cordially  shook  hands,  and  who  proved  to  be  an  East  India 
merchant  who  had  twice  sailed  with  Shelvocke  to  and  from 
Bombay.  I  was  glad  to  see  the  captain  in  tow  of  an  old 
friend,  and  one  I  had  already  noticed  as  shaking  hands 
and  appearing  on  very  friendly  terms  with  some  of  the 
highest  naval  and  military  officers  in  the  room :  but  as  I 
had  come  to  this  ball  to  dance  I  hauled  off  from  the  quar- 
ter-deck yarn  these  two  men  began  to  spout,  and  presently 
had  the  luck  to  obtain  an  introduction  to  a  young  lady 
whose  frank  and  beautiful  eyes  had  previously  attracted  my 
attention  and  won  my  admiration  as  she  executed  a  very 
dull  and  solemn  dance  hand-in-hand  with  a  glittering,  jin- 
gling, youthful  third  lieutenant. 

An  English  lady  is  the  first  woman  in  the  world  for 
manners,  and  one  hour  of  her  spiritual  elegance  and  bland 
and  soothing  graces  is  worth  whole  years  of  the  quilted 
dignities  and  cultivated  airs  of  foreign  grand  dames.  I 
don't  like  to  be  poetical — the  popular  idea  of  Jack  is  so  in- 
timately blended  with  rum,  tobacco,  and  vulgar  bluntness, 
that  a  sailor  is  almost  afraid  of  appearing  in  any  other 
character  than  the  one  which  novelists  and  actors  have  in- 
vented for  him,  lest  he  should  not  only  wound  a  deep- 
rooted   prejudice,  but  even  be  snubbed  as  an  imposition} 


LADY  TEMPEST'S  BALL.  213 

therefore  I  don't  like  to  be  poetical :  but  I  scarcely  know- 
how  to  convey  the  impression  Miss  Madeline  Palmer— for 
that  was  her  name — produced  upon  me,  if  I  may  not 
say  that  talking  to  her  and  looking  into  her  face  was  like 
breathing  the  fragrance  of  a  beautiful  flower.  So  there 
you  have  it. 

She  was  young — not  more  than  nineteen — with  a  rich 
contralto  laugh  that  had  more  melody  in  it  than  many  a 
fine  singer's  voice:  yet  fresh  and  womanly  as  was  her  face, 
with  the  large,  wistful,  honest  gray  eyes,  and  soft,  faintly 
flushed  complexion— like  the  hue  of  clear  flesh  in  a  pink 
light — and  arched  upper  lip,  and  the  nose  slightly,  but  how 
slightly !  turned  wp — have  Ave  no  romantic  definition  in  our 
vocabulary  of  this  delicious  stroke  in  the  face  of  beauty? — 
like  the  fascinating  organ  of  Lady  Cleveland,  as  I  have 
beheld  it  in  the  portrait  of  that  amorous  romp,  and  the 
square,  snow-white  forehead,  topped  with  a  glorious  thick- 
ness of  golden-brown  hair,  divided  on  the  right  side,  glit- 
tering with  the  gold  dust  that  in  those  days  ladies  sprinkled 
over  their  heads  with  great  effect,  and  hanging  with  a 
breezy  look,  and  sparkling  in  golden  threads  over  her 
brows,  the  starboard  one  of  which  was  decorated  with  a 
sweet  little  mole  designed  by  nature  to  contrast  the  exceed- 
ing whiteness  of  her  skin;  while  her  plump  yet  maidenly 
figure  was  dressed,  as  it  should  be,  in  white  satin  with 
short  sleeves,  and  a  light  green  drapery  of  crape  fastened 
on  the  left  shoulder  with  an  amber  brooch,  folded  so  as  to 
conceal  the  left  side  of  her  figure  in  front;  and  long,  white 
kid  gloves,  between  the  top  of  which  and  the  green  chenille 
trimming  of  the  sleeves  the  white,  firm,  round  flesh  of  her 
arms  looked  like  a  carving  in  finest  ivory ;  and  exquisitely 
fitting  shoes  of  green  silk;  and  around  her  throat  a  string 
of  pearls  and  a  small  cross  of  diamonds,  concealing,  but 
suggesting  too,  the  little  hollow,  of  which  the  swelling  satin 
that  rounded  away  from  this  point,  and  curved  back  again 
into  a  tapering  waist  was  the  reserved  but  sufficient  expres- 
sion; I  say — but,  bless  me,  what  was  I  saying?  Ah!  I 
have  it;  that  sweet  and  womanly  as  were  the  face  and  form 
of  this  girl,  yet  these  outward  and  visible  signs,  as  constit- 
uents of  her  fresh  and  fascinating  being,  were  as  naught 
compared  with  the  indescribable  graces  of  her  cordial,  ten- 


214  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

der,  modest,  and  most  winning  manners.  No  airs,  no  sim- 
pering, no  stupid  observations :  we  danced,  and  then  saun- 
tered into  a  brilliant  anteroom  full  of  flowers,  and  tables 
covered  with  refreshments — how  true  is  Horace : 

"Difficile  est  proprie  commuuia  dicere  !" 

how  is  a  man  fresh  from  the  study  of  a  woman's  beauty  to 
describe  eatables! — where  we  sipped  wine  and  coquetted 
with  the  jellies,  while  we  fell  into  a  talk  that  missed  me 
two  dances. 

She  proved  to  be  the  daughter  of  a  Colonel  Palmer,  whose 
regiment  had  been  for  some  time  in  Jamaica,  but  the  last 
letter  she  had  received  from  him  warned  her  that  his  health 
was  bad,  and  that  it  was  probable  he  would  be  forced  to 
return  home  by  the  end  of  the  year.  Since  the  receipt  of 
those  letters  she  had  met  a  friend  of  the  colonel,  who  had 
alarmed  her  by  saying  that  her  father  was  looking  seriously 
ill,  and  that  he  ought  undoubtedly  to  act  upon  the  advice 
of  his  doctor  and  return  home. 

"But  papa  is  a  very  obstinate  man,  Mr.  Madison,"  said 
she,  "  and  is  quite  likely  to  linger  on  in  that  dreadful  cli- 
mate with  the  idea  that  he  is  serving  his  country  by  ruin- 
ing his  health,  until  it  will  be  too  late  for  him  to  receive 
any  benefit  from  a  change  of  air.  So  I  am  going  out  to 
bring  him  home.  I  am  his  only  child,  and  his  objection  to 
my  remaining  in  the  bad  climate  of  Jamaica  will  be  sure  to 
induce  him  to  come  home  with  me  if  I  refuse — which  I 
mean  to  do — to  return  alone." 

I  asked  when  she  sailed,  and  she  said  in  a  day  or  two; 
the  vessel  in  which  she  had  taken  her  passage  had  that 
morning  arrived  in  Cawsand  Bay.  For  the  last  fortnight 
she  had  been  Lady  Tempest's  guest,  but  her  home  was  near 
Canterbury,  in  Kent. 

On  my  telling  her  that  I  had  been  mate  of  an  Indiaman 
for  some  years,  she  asked  me  many  questions  about  the  life 
on  board  ship,  and  listened  to  me  with  such  graceful,  kindly 
interest,  that  I  was  induced  to  prolong  my  conversation  be- 
yond the  warrant  of  good  manners.  I  know  not  how  it 
came  about,  nor  what  there  was  in  me  to  merit  so  high  an 
honor,  but  she  talked  to  me  with  as  little  reserve  as  she 
could  have  shown  had  I  been  an  old  friend,  and  seemed 


LADY  TEMPEST'S  BALL.  215 

almost  reluctant  to  leave  the  comparative  quiet  of  the  re- 
freshment room  when  I  offered  my  arm  to  conduct  her  out 
of  it, 

I  found  other  partners,  and  whisked  through  several 
dances;  but  the  moment  I  saw  Miss  Palmer  alone  again,  I 
went  to  her,  and  the  rest  of  the  night  I  spent  almost  en- 
tirely at  her  side.  I  never  passed  a  pleasanter,  happier 
time.  The  rooms  were  full  of  pretty  women,  the  dancers 
among  the  men  had  no  difficulty  in  finding  partners,  love- 
making  grew  general  as  the  night  advanced,  and  these  lit- 
tle conditions  of  this  delightful  ball  enabled  me  to  keep 
Miss  Palmer  very  much  to  myself.  I  talked  to  her  about 
my  privateering  experiences,  asked  her  if  she  was  not 
frightened  to  dance  with  a  corsair,  told  her  (when  she  asked 
the  question)  that  yonder  tall,  powerful,  handsome  man 
was  Captain  Shelvocke,  the  commander  of  the  vessel  I  was 
first  officer  of,  described  to  her  our  fight  with  the  corvette, 
and  my  experiences  aboard  the  Droit  Maritime  ;  and  she 
chatted  to  me  about  her  Aunt  Matilda,  and  her  pretty  home 
near  Canterbury,  and  her  dear  papa,  whose  name  she  pro- 
nounced with  exquisite  fondness,  and  her  mother,  who  had 
been  dead  seven  years. 

Indeed  no  two  people  could  have  found  more  to  talk 
about  than  she  and  I.  As  the  hours  wore  away,  and  the 
spirit  of  the  revelry  grew  strong,  the  scene  of  the  ballroom 
was  amazingly  brilliant  with  the  glitter  of  uniforms  among 
the  gleaming  dresses  of  the  ladies,  the  flash  and  play  of 
white  arms  and  white  necks,  and  gaudy  turbans  and  stately 
feathers,  and  medals  and  dress-swords,  and  sweet,  fair  faces 
looking  one  way,  and  sunburnt,  handsome  faces  looking  an- 
other way ;  while  the  banners  swayed  under  the  breezing 
of  the  sweeping  skirts,  and  here  and  there  a  picturesque 
background  was  formed  of  grave  dowagers  nodding  to  the 
music  and  watching  the  dancers,  and  stiff  old  sea  officers 
in  costumes  of  a  Eodney  pattern,  figged-out  old  sea-mon- 
sters, one  with  an  empty  sleeve,  another  with  one  eye;  and 
a  sprinkling  of  military  coats  and  gold  lace  and  bullion 
fringe  and  warlike  whiskers. 

The  supper  was  really  a  magnificent  affair,  in  a  wing  of 
the  house  that  was  all  one  room,  and  as  big  as  a  church, 
and  not  unlike  the  inside  of  a  church  either;    hundreds  of 


216  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

candles,  more  flags,  flowers  everywhere ;  long  tables  crowded 
with  silver  and  crystal  wherein  the  candles  shone  like  the 
sun  in  a  calm  sea,  and  dishes  of  things  the  mere  sight  of 
which  would  have  kept  an  alderman  smiling  in  his  sleep 
for  years;  champagne  fizzing  in  all  directions  like  the  froth 
through  the  scupper-holes  of  a  wave-swept  ship;  fellows 
in  liveries  tumbling  against  each  other;  old  gentlemen  and 
old  ladies  eating,  young  gentlemen  whispering,  young  ladies 
giggling;  and,  to  crown  all — bear  me  witness,  some  Ply- 
mouth centenarian ! — speeches ! 

The  King's  health  was  drunk.     General  A quavered 

out  thanks  for  the  army  :  "  It  always  had  done  its  duty :  it 
always  would  do  its  duty."  Admiral  B — • — ,  who  rose 
with  a  napkin  pinned  over  his  decorations,  grumbled  out 
his  thanks  in  a  deep-sea  note  for  the  navy :  "  Hearts  of  oak 
■ — Frenchmen  afraid  of  us — St.  Vincent — the  Nile — hur- 
rah!" But  the  toast  of  the  evening  was  Captain  Tempest 
(at  whose  name  we  all  cheered  until  the  vaulted  room  rat- 
tled to  the  cordial  broadside),  whose  absence  was  explained 
by  his  having  been  ordered  to  join  the  North  Sea  squadron 
with  urgent  despatches.  His  health  was  proposed  by  the 
port-admiral — a  fine,  jovial-faced  old  man,  with  a  head  like 
Collingwood's — in  a  bluff  speech  that  set  dear  old  Lady 
Tempest  crying  with  pride,  and  made  her  modest  little  hus- 
band blush  like  a  purple  dahlia,  and  when  the  port-admiral 
wound  up  by  exclaiming,  with  kindling  eyes,  and  holding 
a  full  wineglass  over  the  turban  of  a  stout  lady  on  his  right 
as  if  he  intended  to  pour  the  libation  among  her  feathers 
before  he  sat  down,  that  the  fine  young  officer  had  given 
one  more  proof  by  the  gallant  tight  he  had  made  that  Nel- 
son's immortal  signal  before  the  battle  of  Trafalgar  {Hip, 
/tip,  hurrah  .')  still  flew  wherever  a  British  man-of-war  was 
to  be  found,  we  cheered  again  and  again,  springing  to  our 
feet  and  shouting  at  the  top  of  our  voices;  in  the  middle 
of  which,  and  producing  an  effect  that  raised  our  enthusi- 
asm (backed  as  it  was  by  champagne)  to  fever-pitch,  five 
twelve-pound  guns  (the  concussion  of  which,  by  the  way, 
broke  several  windows)  were  discharged  on  the  lawn  in 
front  of  the  house,  the  ladies  shrieked,  dress-swords  were 
jingled,  and  a  military  band  outside  struck  up  "  Rule 
Britannia. " 


LADY  TEMPEST'S  BALL.  217 

After  all  this  we  were  invited  on  to  the  lawn  to  view  the 
fireworks;  there  was  a  rush  for  shawls,  and  I  had  the 
happiness  to  robe  the  beautiful  shoulders  of  Miss  Palmer, 
and  to  follow  the  clanking,  rustling,  sparkling,  and  nod- 
ding line  of  guests  with  this  delightful  girl  on  my  arm. 

"And  'twas  pretty  to  see  how,  like  birds  of  a  feather, 
The  people  of  quality  flock'd  all  together." 

The  night  was  calm  and  cloudless.  The  moon,  who,  like 
other  middle-aged  ladies,  had  risen  late,  floated  with  half 
her  silver  disc  obscured;  but  her  sweet  beam  was  too  mild 
to  vex  the  gayety  of  the  clusters  of  colored  lanterns  which 
hung  in  festoons  all  round  the  wide  lawn  where  the  can- 
non had  been  fired,  and  where  a  military  band  (by  kind 
permission  of  the  Roman -nosed  colonel  who  had  sat  oppo- 
site to  me  at  the  supper-table,  and  drank  champagne  enough 
to  launch  a  bomb-ship  in)  was  rattling  out  martial  music. 
Away  beyond  the  lawn  was  a  magnificent  denseness  of 
towering  trees,  amid  the  intricacies  of  which  the  lanterns 
glimmered  like  fire-flies. 

Of  all  fine  effects  I  never  witnessed  anything  more  strik- 
ing than  the  aspect  of  our  numerous  and  vari-colored  assem- 
bly, when  all  on  a  sudden,  a  number  of  red,  blue,  and  green 
fires  were  burned,  as  a  hint  that  the  pyrotechnical  drama 
was  about  to  begin.  The  sudden  stopping  of  promenading 
groups;  the  quivering  of  the  prismatic  hues  in  jewels,  but- 
tons, bullion-fringe,  sword-hilts,  and  bright  eyes;  the 
ghostly  coloring  of  faces;  the  star-like  sparkles  of  the  dew- 
drops  upon  the  grass ;  the  long  double  shadows  cast  by  the 
mingled  light  of  the  moon  and  the  colored  fires  upon  the 
sward  on  which  we  stood ;  the  boughs  of  the  nearer  trees 
which  seemed  to  writhe  and  twist  like  snakes  forking  out 
from  the  huge  trunks,  as  the  fires  waned  and  brightened; 
the  sickly  uniform  pallor  of  the  flowers,  as  though  some 
deadly  breath  had  passed  over  their  petals,  and  extinguished 
their  bright  hues — it  was  the  best  part  of  the  fireworks. 

"Enough  to  make  one  think  of  the  last  day,"  said  I  to 
Miss  Palmer,  "  when  some  of  our  decorated  braves  will  be 
wanting  to  dodge  the  light  that  shows  their  stars  and 
medals  to  be  fashioned  out  of  human  blood,  when  the  big- 
gest diamond  among  us  will  not  be  reckoned  half  so  beauti- 


218  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

ful  as  a  pauper's  tear,  and  when  all  the  feathers  our  turbans 
can  muster  shall  not  furnish  the  lightest-weight  lieutenant 
with  a  pair  of  wings." 

"Rather  profane  but  true,  Mr.  Madison,"  she  answered; 
"  and  it  only  shows  how  wicked  even  the  nicest  people  must 
be  when  a  little  red  and  blue  fire  makes  them  look  like — 
imps." 

The  fireworks  were  excellent,  but  a  little  of  that  sort  of 
buzzing  and  fizzing  and  banging  goes  a  long  way  with  me; 
and  Miss  Palmer  being  of  my  mind,  we  presently  found 
ourselves  wandering  after  a  few  detached  couples  among 
the  flower-gardens  to  the  right  of  the  house,  where  the 
strains  of  the  band  reached  us  with  a  softened  note,  and 
where  we  had  an  excuse  to  pause  often  over  the  dewy  fra- 
grance of  the  beds  of  dahlias,  lilies,  starworts,  pinks,  roses, 
pentstemons,  and  all  the  rest  of  them — I  never  can  remem- 
ber the  names  of  flowers,  nor  the  months  in  which  they 
flourish — which  lay  in  pale  spaces  on  either  hand  of  us. 

When  the  final  rocket  exploded,  the  band  played  "God 
Save  the  King,"  which  was  immediately  followed  by  the 
drawing-room  fiddlers  striking  up  a  piece  of  dance  music, 
for  we  had  not  strayed  so  far  but  that  these  notes  reached 
us  as  they  floated  through  the  open  windows ;  so  we  returned 
to  the  house,  and  for  the  rest  of  the  night  I  danced  with 
nobody  but  Madeline  Palmer,  who  seemed  perfectly  happy 
and  satisfied  with  her  partner ;  and  when  the  ball  broke  up 
amid  the  twittering  of  birds,  and  in  the  pink  haze  of  the 
budding  morning,  before  I  parted  from  my  sweet  compan- 
ion I  begged  a  flower  from  her  as  a  memorial  of  the  de- 
lighted hours  I  had  passed  in  her  society,  saying  romanti- 
cally, and,  as  I  apprehend,  collectedly,  having  regard  to 
the  hour,  and  how  redolent  the  air  was  of  champagne,  that 
it  would  sweeten  with  its  fragrance  the  rough  life  I  should 
be  renewing  in  a  few  hours,  and  that  nothing  would  better 
emblemize  the  happiness  she  had  given  me. 

"  Because  it  will  fade  very  soon,  do  you  mean?"  she  said, 
with  her  rich  laugh,  but  taking  the  flower  from  her  bosom 
and  giving  it  to  me  cordially,  and  without  the  least  embar- 
rassment. 

I  bowed,  she  courtesied,  and,  as  much  in  love  as  any  fool 
could  well  be  at  first  sight,  I  went  to  look  for  Shelvocke. 


LADY  TEMPEST'S  BALL.  219 

I  found  him  waiting  for  me  outside  the  avenue,  and  the 
moment  we  got  under  weigh  he  lighted  a  cigar. 

"Well,  Madison,"  said  he,  "do  you  come  away  with  a 
broken  heart?" 

"  Pooh,  pooh !  my  dear  sir,  when  a  man  gets  to  my  time 
of  life  he  doesn't  allow  a  little  harmless  flirtation  to  affect 
his  happiness.  I  have  danced,  I  have  drunk,  I  have  been 
alarmed  by  the  explosion  of  guns,  I  am  immensely  indebted 
to  the  most  hospitable  of  ladies  for  one  of  the  most  delight- 
ful of  nights,  and  to-morrow — nay,  by  George!  this  very 
blessed  day,  captain,  we  go  in  quest  of  more  booty."  Here 
I  heaved  a  deep  sigh. 

He  took  my  arm,  but  as  I  imagined  that  he  did  ao  to 
steady  me,  and  as  I  did  not  consider  I  required  any  sup- 
port, I  wriggled  away  from  him,  whereat  he  laughed,  and 
offered  me  a  cigar.  I  halted  to  light  it  at  the  cigar  in  his 
mouth. 

"Would  you  kindly  keep  your  cigar  steady,  captain?"  I 
exclaimed,  as  I  found  the  glowing  tip  dodging  first  this 
side  and  then  that,  and  eluding  all  my  efforts  to  fix  it;  "or 
can  it  be  the  effect  of  the  dancing  lingering  in  my  feet? 
Any  man  might  suppose  that  we  are  still  shaking  a  \eg," — 
here  I  caught  his  cigar,  and  at  the  same  moment  his  eye, 
the  expression  in  which  made  me  break  into  a  shout  of 
laughter.  The  laugh  did  me  good,  and  methought  I  took 
the  ground  with  a  steadier  stride. 

He  continued  to  rally  me  somewhat,  saying  that  my 
partner  was  the  prettiest  girl  in  the  room,  that  he  had 
watched  me  flinging  my  nautical  heels  about  with  envy  and 
admiration,  and  wondered  where  the  deuce  I  had  got  that 
•trick  of  making  love,  so  to  speak,  with  the  part  of  my  face 
that  was  turned  to  the  young  lady,  while  the  other  part 
that  was  exhibited  to  the  public  gaze  expressed  the  utmost 
modesty  and  the  most  genteel  consideration  for  other  peo- 
ple's feelings. 

To  calk  his  banter,  I  asked  him  if  anything  more  had 
passed  between  him  and  Captain  Monk. 

"Why,  yes,"  he  answered  quietly.  "A  good  deal  more. 
He  came  up  to  me  on  the  lawn  during  the  fireworks — I 
was  alone — and  asked  me  in  the  most  impertinent  manner 
in  the  world  what  my  object  had  been  in  cross-examining 


220  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

him  on  the  subject  of  hia  action  with  the  line-of-battle  ship. 
He  was  rather  fou  as  the  Scotch  say,  for  it  was  after  sup- 
per, you  know.  I  answered  that  I  asked  for  information. 
'If  that  was  your  motive,'  said  he,  'you  might  have  saved 
yourself  a  great  deal  of  trouble  by  confessing  your  intention 
at  once,  and  I  should  have  been  glad  to  refer  you  to  a  three- 
and-sixpenny  treatise  on  the  mariner's  calling,  which  would 
have  acquainted  you  with  all  the  professional  duties  of 
which  you  appear  to  be  ignorant.'  'I  am  surprised,'  said 
I,  'that  you  should  know  of  any  such  treatise,  after  the 
specimen  of  seamanship  I  was  a  witness  of.'  After  insult- 
ing each  other  in  this  fashion  for  some  minutes  he  walked 
away.  While  I  was  waiting  for  you,  a  naval  officer  saun- 
tered up  to  me,  said,  with  a  bow,  he  believed  he  had  the 
honor  of  addressing  Captain  Shelvocke  of  the  privateer 
schooner  Tigress,  informed  me  that  Captain  Monk  claimed 
satisfaction  for  the  affront  I  had  put  upon  him,  and  desired 
me  to  refer  him  to  a  gentleman  who  would  act  as  my  sec- 
ond. I  begged  permission  to  waive  all  ceremony — the  fact 
is,  Madison,  I  had  not  the  heart  to  lug  you  from  your 
charming  companion  into  a  business  of  this  kind — and  as- 
sured the  officer  that  if  he  would  appoint  a  place  and  time 
I  would  very  punctually  attend  upon  Captain  Monk  and 
bring  a  friend  with  me.  'We  sail  at  noon,'  said  I,  'and  I 
have  therefore  to  request  that  the  affair  be  dispatched 
quickly.'  So  it  was  arranged  that  I  should  meet  Captain 
Monk  at  seven  o'clock,  at  a  secluded  spot  neat  Catwater. 
I  am  to  land  at  the  flagstaff,  and  the  officer  will  conduct 
me  to  the  shooting-place.  I  have  to  ask  you  to  be  my  sec- 
ond, Madison." 

"Certainly,  captain." 

"  I  am  not  a  vindictive  animal,  but  there  is  something  in 
this  Monk  that  is  detestable,  and  if  I  can  put  a  bullet  into 
him  I  will,"  he  said.  "I  have  ascertained  that  he  has  the 
character  of  a  tyrant,  and  to  judge  by  his  seamanship  the 
service  can  well  afford  to  lose  him ;  though,  mind,  I  will 
always  say  he  brought  his  frigate  into  action  gallantly." 

"Rather  sharp  work,  sir,"  said  I,  pulling  out  my  watch; 
"  it  is  already  past  four.  One  moment  toppling  about  with  a 
lovely  partner  through  halls  of  dazzling  light  and  amid  scenes 
pf  more  than  Eastern  splendor,  and  the  next — Oh,  Lord!" 


LADY  TEMPEST'S  BALL.  221 

"What's  the  matter  with  you?" 

"  Why  I  have  put  the  lighted  end  of  my  cigar  into  my 
mouth,  sir.     By  the  way,  captain,  what  about  pistols?" 

"  I  have  the  weapon  I  require  on  board." 

"Really,  sir,"  I  exclaimed,  beginning  to  feel  maudlin, 
"that  is  an  unfortunate  business.  I  hope  the  man's  a  bad 
shot.  If  you  should  be  winged,  captain,  or  made  a  sheer 
hulk  of  like  poor  Tom  Bowline,  whose  face  was  of  the 
manliest  beauty,  what's  to  become  of  us  Tigresses?" 

"Steady,  my  friend,  steady!"  he  sung  out,  as  I  lurched 
up  against  him.  "Here,  take  my  arm,  man;  nothing  like 
a  leeboard  for  a  craft  that  sails  three  sheets  to  the  wind." 

I  held  on  to  him  fondly,  and  felt  so  excessively  senti- 
mental that  I  could  have  shed  tears. 

"  If  you  have  any  commands,  captain,  if  you  have  any 
last  injunctions,  any  dear  ones  you  would  like  me  to  wait 
upon,  any  sealed  packets,  pieces  of  hair " 

"  Thank  you :  if  I  fall  my  lawyer  will  know  what  to  do," 
he  answered,  with  his  face  as  grave  as  a  judge's,  and  in  a 
most  serious  tone  of  voice.  "  Being  alone  in  the  world  is 
thought  a  poor  lookout  by  many  people,  and  mothers  with 
marriageable  daughters  will  paint  the  horrors  of  celibacy 
in  lively  colors.  But  loneliness  confers  some  fine  privi- 
leges, and  at  this  moment  I  would  not  be  a  married  man  if 
my  wife  were  Venus,  and  Plutus  had  made  his  will  in  her 
favor." 

"  And  yet  it  must  be  a  pleasant  thing  to  have  a  wife, 
sir;  to  feel  that  there  is  always  a  plump  little  goddess  with 
gray  eyes  and  soft  lips  sitting  at  home  and  thinking  of  you; 
to  be  the  owner  of  a  girl  like  Madeline  Palmer  for  in- 
stance, or  such  a  beauty  as  that  romantic  young  Italian  girl 
you  once  told  me  about — little  Peacock's  mother,  captain, 
you  know — eh?  Pray  describe  her  to  me,  sir.  I  am  in 
the  mood  to  talk  about  pretty  women." 

"Come  along,  come  along!"  he  exclaimed  rather  sternly 
and  very  impatiently,  nipping  my  wrist  as  though  he  held 
it  in  a  vice  under  his  arm,  and  making  my  legs  feel  like 
corkscrews  as  he  hauled  me  over  the  ground.  "  It  will  be 
eight  o'clock  before  we  get  aboard  at  this  rate.  I  am  sorry 
I  did  not  accept  my  friend's  offer  of  a  lift  in  his  carriage — 
but  he  had  left  before  I  was  called  out." 


222         AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

The  length  and  impetuosity  of  his  stride  effectually 
silenced  me,  and  we  walked  as  if  for  a  wager.  The  sun 
had  risen,  and  such  a  morning  had  broken  as  would  have 
made  a  man  in  love  with  a  saunter  along  the  country  road 
we  had  taken  in  order  to  fetch  the  place  opposite  which  the 
Tigress  was  anchored,  by  the  shortest  cut.  After  the  heated 
rooms,  the  revolving  dances,  the  champagne  and  the  flirt- 
ing, the  smell  of  the  hay,  the  sweet  scents  of  the  wild  flow- 
ers, the  breath  of  the  full-leaved  hedges,  were  refreshing 
beyond  all  expression.  However,  the  hard  walking  cleared 
my  head,  and  by  the  time  we  had  reached  Bottlenose  Point 
(I  think  it  was)  I  was  collected  enough  to  regret  the  non- 
sense I  had  talked  to  Shelvocke. 

Right  opposite  to  us  lay  the  schooner,  calmly  resting 
upon  the  blue  water  that  reflected  her  beautiful  form  and 
gave  back  the  lustrous  sheen  of  her  copper.  Shelvocke 
hailed  her,  and  was  immediately  answered  by  Tapping,  and 
in  a  few  moments  a  boat  was  lowered. 

The  Sound  was  a  beautiful  picture  with  its  verdant 
shores,  and  a  group  of  motionless  ships  at  anchor  in  Jenny- 
cliff  Bay,  and  a  few  small,  creeping,  white-winged  vessels 
taking  advantage  of  the  land-breeze  that  was  making  the 
water  tremble  toward  the  sea,  though  where  we  stood 
scarcely  a  blur  tarnished  the  blue  mirror;  while,  on  our 
right,  we  could  see  the  mastheads  of  the  ships  and  the 
grouped  town  of  Plymouth  and  the  hills  to  the  north  of  it, 
and  Catwater  sparkling  like  quicksilver  as  it  rounded  to 
the  eastward  past  Catdown;  while  the  whole  glittering 
scene  of  still,  blue  water,  and  green  and  brown  land,  and 
ships  with  their  tall  masts  trembling  in  the  faint  haze  that 
the  sun  was  drawing  from  the  shores,  was  made  singularly 
impressive  by  the  night-silence  which  the  young  morning 
had  not  yet  broken,  and  by  the  lifelessness  of  the  silver- 
bright  and  beautiful  picture  which  the  crawling  sails  on 
the  water  away  toward  the  sea,  or  the  cry  of  some  hidden 
workman  hailing  a  fellow-laborer,  or  the  striking  of  a  ship's 
bell,  seemed  rather  to  heighten  than  disturb. 

The  water  buzzed  under  the  stem  of  the  gig  as  she  swept 
toward  us,  and  in  a  few  minutes  we  were  aboard  the 
schooner.  Shelvocke  was  somewhat  grave,  otherwise  his 
usual  manner  was  unchanged.     He  ordered  the  gig  to  re- 


LADY  TEMPEST'S  BALL.  223 

main  alongside;  and  after  giving  a  few  instructions  to 
Tapping  respecting  the  preparations  for  sailing  shortly 
after  noon,  he  went  below  and  remained  in  his  cabin  until 
it  was  time  to  be  off. 

A  plunge  over  the  side  and  a  twenty  minutes'  swim  com- 
pleted the  cure  that  my  sharp  walk  with  the  captain  had 
commenced  in  me.  I  drank  a  cup  of  tea,  and,  pipe  in 
mouth,  waited  for  Shelvocke's  summons  to  start.  I  was 
depressed ;  for  I  thought  it  a  monstrous  pity  that  the  life 
of  a  man  like  Shelvocke  should  be  risked  in  a  pitiful  and 
inglorious  encounter  with  a  person  whose  surly  reply  to  our 
hail  from  the  deck  of  his  frigate  might  very  well  have  been 
passed  by  with  contemptuous  indifference.  However,  re- 
grets were  of  no  use;  and,  at  twenty  minutes  to  seven, 
Shelvocke  came  on  deck  with  his  pistol-case  concealed 
under  a  light  cloak,  we  jumped  into  the  gig,  and  started 
for  a  place  of  meeting. 

The  men  looked  inquisitively  from  Shelvocke  to  his  cloak 
that  lay  beside  him,  as  though  they  suspected  his  errand, 
and  I  was  heartily  glad  to  see  no  signs  of  a  man-of-war's 
boat  in  waiting  upon  Captain  Monk;  for,  owing  to  the 
press-gangs  which  (now  that  the  war  with  America  had 
added  to  our  numerous  engagements  of  a  similar  nature) 
were  bearing  with  heavy  severity  on  merchant-seamen,  an 
epaulet  in  the  eyes  of  mercantile  Jack  was  as  bad  as  a 
crime  in  its  wearer,  and  collisions  between  the  crews  of 
merchant  ships  and  naval  vessels  were  repeatedly  occur- 
ring, and  often  with  lamentable  consequences.  However, 
as  I  have  said,  nothing  resembling  a  boat  was  to  be  seen  in 
the  neighborhood  of  the  spot  toward  which  we  were  head- 
ing. The  distance  altogether  was  two  miles,  and  given 
any  other  errand,  the  row  would  have  been  a  delightful  one. 

My  recollection  of  Plymouth  has  been  greatly  dulled  by 
time,  yet  I  did  then,  and  do  still,  think  the  view  of  the 
Sound — the  town,  the  forts  and  heights  down  as  far  as  the 
eye  could  reach,  to  Staddon  Point,  ay,  and  even  to  Reny 
Point,  and  the  hilly  shores  of  Penlee  opening,  as  we  rowed, 
far  away  behind  Drake's  Island — the  most  romantic  and 
beautiful  bit  of  coast  scenery  mortal  eye  could  wish  to  look 
upon,  even  low  on  the  water  as  I  was,  when  I  turned  my 
head  and  looked  over  the  stern  toward  the  slip  of  Cornwall 


ZU  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

promontory,  upon  whose  green  and  yellow  fields  the  soar- 
ing sun  was  pouring  his  lustrous  silver. 

"There's  a  flagstaff,"  said  Shelvocke. 

"And  there's  a  man,"  said  I,  pointing  to  a  figure  that 
was  walking  by  the  margin  of  the  water  under  cover  of  a 
tall  bank. 

"Monk's  second,  I  suppose,"  said  Shelvocke,  looking  at 
his  watch.  "He  is  punctual  enough;  it  wants  ten  minutes 
to  the  hour." 

The  oars  creaked  and  the  boat  flew  along ;  every  stroke 
enlarged  and  sharpened  the  figure  of  the  man.  Presently 
we  could  distinguish  his  face,  and  see  the  buttons  glittering 
on  his  coat.  He  stood  watching  us,  and  as  we  approached, 
raised  his  hat  and  pointed  to  a  ledge  of  soil  or  sand  that 
jutted  into  the  water,  as  much  as  to  say,  "  You  had  better 
land  here."  The  stem  of  the  boat  grounded,  she  swung  to 
the  ledge,  and.  we  stepped  out. 

I  put  the  pistol-case  under  my  arm,  and  wondered  how 
far  a  distance  we  should  be  taken  by  the  naval  officer,  who 
had  the  look  of  a  free  and  hearty,  yet  well-bred  man,  when, 
again  raising  his  hat,  he  requested  me  to  step  aside  with 
him.  I  did  so  at  once,  leaving  Shelvocke  standing  with 
his  back  toward  us,  and  rolling  a  cigar  between  his  thumb 
and  forefinger,  as  if  considering  whether  he  should  light  it. 

"I  am  much  concerned,  sir,"  said  the  officer,  "that  it 
was  out  of  my  power  to  save  Captain  Shelvocke  and  your- 
self from  undertaking  a  fruitless  journey.  The  fact  is,  on 
my  arrival  at  the  house  where  Captain  Monk  is  staying,  I 
found  that  he  had  been  struck  down  by  an  apoplexy. 
There  were  two  doctors  in  attendance  on  him.  Of  course, 
his  presence  here  is  impossible." 

I  made  him  a  bow,  and  walked  over  to  Shelvocke,  and 
gave  him  this  message.  The  expression  on  his  face  did  not 
alter  in  the  least.  He  approached  the  officer  with  a  cold 
inclination  of  the  head. 

"Unhappily,"  said  he,  "I  sail  to-day,  and  cannot  pos- 
sibly fix  or  suggest  a  time  for  another  meeting  should  your 
friend  recover.  But  if  you  will  favor  me  with  Captain 
Monk's  address,  I  will  take  care  that  he  be  kept  furnished 
with  such  accounts  of  my  movements  as  the  owner  of  the 
Tigress  will  receive  from  me ;    and  you  may  tell  him  that  I 


LADY  TEMPEST'S  BALL.  225 

shall  be  willing  to  fight  him  at  the  earliest  possible  oppor- 
tunity that  may  offer,  in  any  part  of  the  world,  with  any 
weapon  he  likes  to  name,  and  at  any  hour  in  the  whole 
circle  of  the  twenty-four  he  may  take  it  into  his  head  to 
fancy." 

The  officer — I  forget  his  name — replied  with  a  haughty 
bow;  the  half-suppressed  contempt  and  chilling  deliberate- 
ness  of  Shelvocke's  manner  and  voice  were  a  behavior  in  a 
privateersman  which  our  naval  friend  did  not  at  all  relish. 
But  there  was  nothing  in  Shelvocke's  language  that  he 
could  resent.  He  named  a  place  at  which  Captain  Monk 
could  be  addressed,  and  added : 

"  I  will  deliver  your  message,  sir,  and  you  may  rely  upon 
it  that  nothing  short  of  an  apoplexy  will  cause  Captain 
Monk  to  disappoint  you  when  the  opportunity  for  another 
meeting  does  occur." 

I  had  some  difficulty  to  keep  my  face  when  he  said 
"nothing  short  of  an  apoplexy,"— as  if  there  were  no  other 
illness  calculated  to  stop  a  man  from  fighting  a  duel.  We 
again  saluted  one  another,  and  there  being  nothing  more  to 
say,  he  walked  in  the  direction  of  the  town  and  we  returned 
to  the  gig. 

"Shove  off,  my  lads;  give  way  now,"  said  Shelvocke; 
and  turning  to  me  as  he  lighted  a  cigar,  he  exclaimed  with 
a  quiet  smile,  "  I  shall  be  able  to  smoke  this  out,  after  all." 
15 


CHAPTER   IX. 

TO    THE   WEST. 

The  chimes  of  the  church-clocks  striking  the  hour  of 
noon  came  clown  upon  the  pleasant  northeast  wind;  and 
as  the  ship's  bells  clanked  out  the  time,  it  was  like  the 
tinkling  you  hear  among  flocks  of  sheep.  The  piercing 
pipe  of  the  boatswain  summoned  all  hands  to  get  the 
schooner  under  way ;  a  strong  gang  manned  the  capstan; 
some  were  aloft  loosing  the  square  canvas,  others  out  on 
the  bowsprit  and  jibbooms,  and  groups  at  the  running 
rigging. 

With  ninety  men  and  a  small  ship  there  was  no  excuse 
for  the  least  want  of  smartness;  besides,  we  lay  full  in 
sight  of  Plymouth,  and  the  shores  all  along  were  alive  with 
critical  naval  eyes,  the  mere  notion  of  which  nerved  our 
seamen  into  uncommmon  dexterous  activity.  The  main 
throat-halliards  were  taken  through  a  snatch-block  hitched 
to  an  eye-bolt  abreast  of  the  tiller,  so  as  to  give  the  fellows 
who  manned  them  the  whole  run  of  the  deck ;  there  were 
hands  by  the  topsail,  staysail,  and  jib  halliards;  twenty 
men  had  the  handling  of  the  square  rigging,  and  so  soon  as 
ever  the  cable  was  up  and  down,  the  boatswain  chirped  his 
pipe,  the  beautiful  schooner  flashed  as  if  by  magic  into  a 
broad  tall  surface  of  white  canvas,  another  turn  of  the  cap- 
stan raised  the  anchor,  and  the  Tigress  was  under  way. 

I  strode  about  apparently  full  of  business,  singing  out 
here,  shouting  there,  but  all  the  time  I  was  thinking  of  a 
green  and  beautiful  estate  away  beyond  the  red  tiles  and 
church  tops,  and  of  the  sweet  and  graceful  girl  who  had 
stood  with  me  in  those  same  grounds  last  night  and  watched 
the  fireworks.  I  cannot  express  the  gloom  that  dropped 
upon  me  as  I  looked  again  and  again  at  the  diminishing 
town  and  the  country  that  opened  behind  it  as  we  drew 


TO  THE  WEST.  227 

away,  and  thought  that  it  was  a  thousand  to  one  if  ever  I 
met  Miss  Palmer  again,  and  wondered  how  long  a  time 
would  elapse  before  I  should  gaze  once  more  upon  this 
noble  space  of  blue  and  golden  scenery,  the  recollection  of 
which  in  my  heart  would  be  eternally  associated  with  the 
cordial,  melodious,  sweet-eyed  Madeline. 

Which  of  those  three  vessels  in  Cawsand  Bay  was  her 
ship?  I  wondered.  They  were  all  West  Indiamen.  In 
truth,  sentiment  was  making  a  perfect  fool  of  me.  I  felt 
that  I  should  have  been  quite  content  to  become  Madeline's 
ship's  figurehead  for  the  whole  voyage  to  Jamaica  merely 
for  the  happiness  of  being  in  the  vessel  she  was  aboard  of. 
The  duel,  or  rather  the  programme  of  it,  had  given  my 
mind  so  much  occupation  that  my  sentiment  had  fallen 
into  a  mere  smouldering  condition ;  but  it  was  forking  up 
into  a  blaze  now  that  there  was  nothing  particular  to  dis- 
tract my  thoughts  from  the  contemplation  of  the  girl  I 
might  never  see  again. 

Long  before  we  were  abreast  of  Cawsand  the  ropes  had 
been  coiled  down  and  the  decks  cleared,  and  a  number  of 
seamen  (like  myself)  were  leaning  over  the  bulwarks 
watching  the  passing  shores,  or  gazing  moodily  with  their 
faces  turned  toward  Plymouth,  where  they  too,  in  all  prob- 
ability, had  been  enjoying  some  ardent  flirtations,  though  I 
dare  say  their  memory  was  busier  with  the  grog-shops  than 
with  the  Sukeys  and  Sails  who  had  sat  on  their  knees. 

"What  are  those  vessels— West  Indiamen?"  said  Shel- 
vocke,  coming  to  my  side  and  pointing  to  the  three  ships 
in  the  bay. 

"  I  think  they  are,  sir.  Miss  Palmer  told  me  that  the 
ship  she  was  to  sail  in  for  the  West  Indies  had  arrived  off 
Cawsand,  and  I  suppose  the  three  yonder  are  to  make  part 
of  a  convoy." 

He  pulled  out  his  watch  with  a  very  grave  face,  and 
holding  it  in  his  hand,  asked  me  if  I  knew  the  hour  when 
Lady  Tempest's  ball  broke  up. 

"About  four  o'clock,  sir,"  I  answered,  wondering  at  his 
discursiveness. 

"Say  five-and-twenty  minutes  past  four,  Madison,"  said 
he;  "and  that  will  make  it  exactly  eight  hours  since  you 
bade  good-by  to  your  pretty  partner.     Is  it  possible,"  he 


228  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

added,  pocketing  his  watch,  "  that  you  remember  her  after 
all  these  hours?" 

"  My  dear  sir — ■ — "  I  expostulated. 

"Madison,"  said  he,  "you're  a  wonder!  What — a  sailor 
remember  a  girl  eight  hours  after  he  has  left  her!  Why, 
man,  do  you  know  what  you  are  doing?  You  are  revolu- 
tionizing our  choicest  professional  traditions.  You  will  be 
leaving  the  Dibdinites  nothing  to  rhyme  about,  and  driving 
poor  Ben  Incledon,  a  man  who  has  never  injured  you,  off 
the  stage!  Lord  help  us,  Madison!  turn  your  quid  and  get 
rid  of  this  longshore  swash,  or  you'll  be  writing  verses 
before  you  know  where  you  are." 

"I'll  tell  you  what  it  is,  captain,"  said  I  manfully: 
"you  didn't  dance  with  her,  sir — you  didn't  see  the  spark- 
ling of  the  fireworks  in  her  eyes — you  didn't  take  a  moon- 
light stroll  with  her  among  the  flowers.  Must  a  night's 
rout  end  in  battle,  murder,  and  sudden  death?  Is  duelling 
to  take  the  place  of  dancing?  When  a  man  is  asked  to  a 
ball,  must  he  limit  his  enjoyments  to  the  tweaking  of  surly 
naval  captains'  noses?  Give  me  a  beautiful  companion,  I 
say.  Give  me,  in  preference  to  arguments  on  naval  ma- 
noeuvring, impassioned  murmurs  up  in  a  corner,  white 
shoulders  before  epaulets,  and  a  moonlit  trance  among  lilies 
and  roses  before  the  cutting  civilities  of  a  conversation  with 
a  bloodthirsty  second!" 

"That  will  do,  Madison.  Best  your  fame  as  a  speaker 
of  the  highest  order  upon  that,  and  say  no  more.  But, 
doubt  my  good-nature  as  much  as  you  please,  I  do  now 
freely  admit  that  I  did  snatch  a  horrid  enjoyment  from  the 
browbeating  I  gave  the  surly  Monk."  That  we  shall  fight 
yet,  I  do  not  doubt,  unless  another  fit  of  apoplexy  comes 
between  us.  It  is  high  time  that  we  merchantmen  vin- 
dicated our  titles  as  gentlemen  an  1  seamen  from  the  con- 
temptuous usage  every  little  snobling  in  blue  cloth  and 
bright  buttons  thinks  himself  privileged  to  give  us.  When 
there  is  a  storm,  cannot  we  meet  it?  When  we  are  in  dan- 
ger, cannot  we  brave  it?  When  we  are  confronted  by  an 
enemy,  do  we  wince?  Is  not  the  mercantile  officer  as  good 
a  seaman  as  his  cocked-hat  despiser?  Is  not  he  sometimes 
a  handsome  man  and  a  fine  fellow?  Play  to  him,  will  he 
not  dance?     Pipe  to  him,  will  he  not  pull  and  haul?     Is 


TO  THE  WEST.  229 

not  he  beloved  of  sweet  women?     Kogues!    if  you  say  we 
are  not  like  you  in  the  rest,  we  will  resemble  you  in  that." 
"Worthy  of  Kemble!" 

We  were  soon  clear  of  Kame  Head,  with  the  blue  waters 
of  the  English  Channel  stretching  before  us,  and  after  our 
three  weeks'  spell  of  the  ground-tackle,  it  was  almost 
strange  to  feel  the  heave  of  the  sea  under  our  feet.  It  was 
a  pleasant  day,  the  wind  cooled  the  sunbeams,  and  over- 
head was  the  finest  sky  I  ever  beheld ;  the  high  clouds  lay 
in  fine  white  veins — portions  resembled  lace — from  east  to 
west  stretched  this  lovely  exhibition  of  vapor;  indeed,  it 
was  like  looking  up  at  a  dome  of  marble.  The  blue  lay 
with  a  lovely  softness  of  color  amid  this  vaporous  spray, 
and  when  I  called  Shelvocke's  attention  to  the  beautiful 
appearance,  he  was  so  much  struck  that  he  stood  gazing 
like  a  man  before  a  picture. 

By  dinner-time  we  had  run  the  coast  into  a  mere  shadow. 
The  men  had  been  mustered  and  divided  into  watches,  and 
our  sea-life  was  fairly  commenced. 

"After  all,  gentlemen!"  exclaimed  Shelvocke,  address- 
ing Chestree,  and  myself,  and  young  Peacock  (who  had 
been  asked  to  dinner),  as  we  took  our  places  at  the  table — 
which  the  steward  had  equipped  with  flowers,  and  which 
was  as  radiant  as  a  looking-glass  with  the  flashing  of  the 
sun's  rays  through  the  skylight  upon  the  plate  and  glass, 
and  purple  and  yellow  wines  in  decanters — "  there  is  more 
real  happiness  to  be  got  at  sea  by  the  poorest  sailor,  than 
can  be  purchased  ashore  by  the  wealthiest  lord.  Madison, 
a  little  of  this  soup?  First  of  all,  there  are  no  women  to 
tease  him.  His  sleep  is  never  broken  by  the  cries  of  a 
baby.  There  is  no  post.  There  are  no  tradesmen  to  vex 
him  with  their  trifling  accounts.  Steward,  some  bread  for 
Mr.  Peacock.  Money  is  of  no  use  at  sea.  There  are  no 
shops — there  is  nothing  to  buy.  Then  again,  there  are  no 
troublesome  next-door  neighbors.  And  best  of  all,  there 
is  no  news." 

"And  a  man  needn't  shave  unless  he  pleases,"  said  Ches- 
tree. 

"And  besides,  sir,  where  are  you  going  to  get  this  beau- 
tiful   buoyant,    up-and-down    feeling   ashore?"    exclaimed 


230  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

Peacock,  half  closing  one  of  his  handsome  eyes,  and  look- 
ing with  the  other  through  a  glass  of  sherry  at  Shelvocke. 
"  I  never  seem  to  walk  comfortably  on  dry  land.  There  is 
no  spring  in  the  earth." 

"  Try  dancing, "  said  I. 

"Even  then  it's  like  having  your  boots  soled  with  lead, 
sir." 

"Give  me  dry  land,"  observed  I.  "The  sea  is  very 
well ;  but  put  me  where  I  can  humor  my  artless  fancies, 
gentlemen.  I  will  at  this  moment  pawn  all  the  privileges 
the  captain's  prodigal  and  beneficent  sea  yields  the  humble 
sailor  for  a  cottage  and  an  acre  of  land- — just  out  of  Ply- 
mouth ;  a  cow ;  enough  hens  to  give  me  as  many  eggs  as 
will  garnish  two  rashers  of  bacon  of  mine  own  curing,  and 
make  me  every  day  a  pudding;  a  ten-ton  yacht  to  scour  the 

Sound,  and "  the  rest  was  lost  in  an  irrepressible  gape, 

for  which  I  immediately  apologized.  "  We  have  neither  of 
us  been  in  bed,  you  know,  captain,  since  the  night  before 
last." 

Here  Tapping's  head  darkened  the  skylight. 

"There's  a  sail  right  ahead,  sir,  coming  down  upon  us." 

"  All  right,  Mr.  Tapping.  Get  your  colors  ready  for 
hoisting,"  said  Shelvocke.  "Madison,  your  yawn  inter- 
rupted your  sylvan  discourse ;  your  cottage  and  your  cows 
and  your  hens  are  very  well,  but  who's  going  to  cook  your 
bacon  and  make  your  puddings?" 

"A  proper  little  maid,  sir;  wages  ten  pounds  a  year, 
and  cold  meat  on  Sundays  to  enable  her  to  go  to  chapel,"  I 
replied,  perfectly  understanding  the  twinkle  in  his  eye. 

"Mr.  Chestree,  try  a  glass  of  that  port,"  said  Shelvocke, 
who  was  in  high  spirits.  "Pray,  my  friend — forgive  my 
inquisitiveness — were  you  ever  in  love?" 

The  second  mate's  face  looked  like  the  rising  moon  on  a 
hot  summer  night,  as  he  answered  in  a  sort  of  cracked  voice 
that  made  Peacock  burst  into  a  laugh,  "  Once,  sir." 

"  Only  once! — surely  you  forget?" 

"No,  sir;  on  my  honor,  only  once,"  repeated  Chestree, 
with  great  gravity. 

"Did  you  marry  her,  Mr.  Chestree?"  I  asked. 

"No,  Mr.  Madison,"  answered  Chestree,  who  was  an 
extremely  literal  person,  and  the  most  accurate  man  in  his 


TO  THE   WEST.  231 

statements  that  ever  I  met;  "I  didn't  fall  in  love  with  her 
with  the  intention  of  getting  married,  but  for  the  sake  of 
having  somebody  to  keep  company  with  when  I  was  ashore." 

"  That  was  a  very  unsettled  view  of  life  on  your  part,  Mr. 
Chestree,"  said  Shelvocke.     "Had  she  a  mother?" 

"No,  sir;  she  hadn't  a  mother,  but  she  had  a  father.  I 
lodged  in  his  house,  and  that  was  how  I  got  acquainted 
with  the  girl.  He  was  a  wooden-legged  man,  and  very 
often  in  liquor.  He  lived  in  Limehouse,  sir,  and  kept  a 
toy-shop.  When  he  was  drunk,  his  behavior  was  extraor- 
dinary. Imagine,  sir — it  was  his  habit,  when  he  got  in- 
toxicated, of  a  night,  to  go  into  his  shop  and  wind  up  all 
the  spring  toys  and  set  them  running  about  the  floor.  He 
dealt  largely  in  that  kind  of  goods.  He  would  fling  the 
Indian-rubber  balls  and  dolls  against  the  walls,  set  the  tops 
spinning,  wag  the  babies'  rattles;  in  fact,  he'd  start  every- 
thing that  made  a  noise,  sir — cursing  and  swearing  himself 
all  the  time  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  and  rolling  among  the 
hoops,  boxes  of  soldiers,  and  the  tambourines.  The  louder 
I'd  knock  overhead,  the  more  things  he'd  set  going.  I 
put  up  with  him  as  long  as  I  could  for  the  girl's  sake,  but 
I  was  driven  away  at  last,  and  you'll  hardly  believe  me, 
Mr.  Madison,  when  I  say  that  the  moment  I  shifted  my 
lodgings  the  trollop  passed  me  in  the  street  as  though  I  had 
been  a  mile-post." 

"A  rent  in  the  affections,"  said  I. 

"A  week's  rent,"  exclaimed  Shelvocke.  "A  fine  com- 
mentary on  tearing  a  passion  into  tatters." 

"She  came  to  tatters  at  last,  sir,  I  believe,"  said  Ches- 
tree; "for  her  father  destroyed  so  many  of  his  toys  that  at 
last  he  had  nothing  to  sell.  They  locked  him  up  for  debt, 
and  Susan  went  to — "  He  checked  himself,  drained  his 
wineglass,  and  stared  at  Peacock. 

"Pray,  Captain  Shelvocke,"  said  I,  smothering  another 
yawn,  "  might  I  be  so  bold  as  to  ask  where  the  Tigress  is 
bound  to?" 

"  Certainly.  I  intend  skirting  the  French  coast  as  far  as 
d'Oleron,  and  then  head  for  the  West  Indies.  But  how  is 
it  possible  for  privateersmen  to  have  a  programme?  To- 
morrow may  see  us  burnt,  or  sunk,  or  captured  or — a  live- 
lier  fancy — convoying   a   noble   prize   back  to   that   very 


232  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

Plymouth  you,  Madison,,  are  fretting  over.  By  the  way, 
did  not  I  understand  you  to  say  that  Miss  Palmer  is  going 
to  Jamaica?" 

"Yes,"  said  I,  blushing  a  little  in  anticipation  of  some 
banter. 

"  And  did  you  not  endeavor  to  dissuade  her  by  a  picture, 
such  as  your  active  and  amorous  genius  should  very  well 
know  how  to  paint,  of  that  hobgoblin  the  Yellow  Jack,  the 
Jamaica  Charon,  the  fugleman  of  the  noisome  battalion  of 
snakes,  mosquitoes,  bats,  blood-suckers  of  many  kinds, 
sharks,  guanos,  negroes,  and  Yankee  skippers?  But  no 
matter.  Fill  your  glass— and  you  and  I,  as  eye-witnesses 
of  her  beauty,  will  privately  and  in  elegant  silence  toast 
her.  That  she  and  you  may  meet  again  I  ought  not  to 
hope :  the  feelings  of  a  friend  should  prompt  the  heart  to 
kinder  aspiration;  but  still,  here's  to  your  wish,  Madison — > 
as  the  good  old  song  says: 

"  Here's  to  your  wish  !  let  it  run  as  it  will,  boy  I 
Bad  it  can't  be,  as  it  makes  us  both  fill,  boy  !" 

Honest  Chestree  stared  at  all  this,  for  neither  he  nor  I 
had  ever  seen  Shelvocke  in  such  good  spirits.  No  doubt 
the  excitement  of  the  night,  the  release  from  an  engage- 
ment which  the  braver  a  man  is  the  gladder  he  will  be  to 
get  easily  and  honorably  quit  of,  and  the  glee  which  the 
prospects  of  a  new  cruise  raised  in  him,  caused  his  present 
overflow.  Be  this  as  it  may,  I  never  liked  him  in  any 
mood  better  than  in  this.  His  freedom  gave  no  offence. 
The  kindness  that  underlay  his  joking  was  always  apparent, 
and  the  worst-tempered  wretch  that  an  enlarged  spleen  and 
a  congested  liver  ever  exacerbated  would  have  been  soothed 
into  blandness  by  Shelvocke' s  hearty  ringing  laugh. 

Tapping's  pugnacious  face  again  darkened  the  skylight. 

"Please,  sir,  the  fellow  ahead  is  a  line-of -battle  ship. 
She's  either  lost  or  struck  her  topgallant  masts." 

"  How  far  distant  is  she?" 

"About  three  miles." 

"All  right,  Mr.  Tapping;  I'll  come  and  look  at  her  pres- 
ently. What  a  very  odd  language  sailors  talk,  Mr.  Ches- 
tree. Did  you  hear  Tapping  speak  of  the  felloiu  ahead, 
and  call  him  she  ?  " 


TO  THE  WEST.  233 

"  Well,  sir,  now  that  you  call  attention  to  the  contradic- 
tion, I  see  it,  captain.  But  what  is  a  man  to  say?  They 
corrupted  the  sex  of  ships  when  they  called  Government 
vessels  men-of-war.  You  might  as  well  christen  a  baby- 
girl  Bill." 

"  Very  true,  Mr.  Chestree.  Gentlemen,  if  you  have  fin- 
ished your  wine,  we  will  go  on  deck." 

I  was  excessively  sleepy,  and  the  Tigress*  sherry  had 
not  lightened  my  eyelids.  However,  I  thought  I  would 
take  a  squint  at  the  liner  before  lying  down,  and  followed 
the  others  on  deck.  The  breeze  had  slackened  somewhat, 
and  the  schooner  was  slipping  through  the  water  with  the 
quick,  sinister,  piratical,  and  sneaking  motion  that  was 
one  of  her  distinctest  qualities.  The  sail  was  right  ahead, 
and  looked  like  a  wreck  under  her  double-reefed  topsails 
and  thick  topmast  heads. 

She  was  a  very  large  line-of -battle  ship,  with  three  tiers 
of  ports,  the  lower  ones  of  which  were  closed ;  and  our  im- 
pression was  that  she  had  been  partially  dismantled  by  a 
gale  of  wind,  until  she  was  near  enough  to  show  a  whole 
constellation  of  shot-holes  in  her  bulwarks,  her  yards  and 
masts  fished  in  numerous  places,  her  lower  rigging  knotted, 
and  many  other  signs  of  a  recent  severe  engagement.  The 
most  noticeable  thing  about  her  was  the  streams  of  bright 
water  spouting  from  her  sides,  and  trailing  their  lines  of 
foam  upon  the  sea  as  she  went  slowly,  and  wearily,  and 
heavily  forward. 

I  once  witnessed  a  prize-fight,  and  watched  two  muscular 
savages  pound  each  other  for  an  hour  and  a  quarter.  It 
was  a  disgusting  sight;  but  no  part  of  the  ferocious  and 
unnatural  exhibition  impressed  me  more  than  the  appear- 
ance of  the  victor  after  his  blue,  and  blind,  and  bleeding 
opponent  had  been  carried  away.  The  skin  of  the  con- 
queror's face  was  in  rags,  one  eye  was  hermetically  sealed, 
one  arm  broken :  nevertheless,  he  made  shift  to  flourish  a 
large  white  and  red  pocket-handkerchief;  and  with  a 
hoarse,  spluttering  cheer  in  his  throat,  the  wretched  crea- 
ture staggered  round  the  platform  to  let  his  backers  see  how 
gamely  he  endured  his  punishment. 

The  recollection  of  this  maimed,  and  heroic — brutally 
heroic,  no  doubt,  but  still  heroic — figure  was  in  my  mind 


234  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

as  I  watched  the  battered,  splintered,  leaking,  patched-up 
line-of -battle  ship  go  past  us,  with  English  colors  at  the 
peak,  and  the  water  rushing  from  her  scupper-holes  under 
the  action  of  the  pumps  like  the  gutters  of  a  house  after 
a  thunder-shower.  She  appealed  to  us  as  a  human  being 
might:  it  was  the  courage  of  the  broken  and  mutilated 
prize-fighter  waving  his  handkerchief,  and  limping  to  his 
home;  but  how  ennobled  the  picture  by  the  character  of 
the  tremendous  struggle  that  had  driven  this  sinking  and 
injured  ship  to  the  refuge  of  her  own  ports!  We  lowered 
our  ensign,  and  in  obedience  to  a  signal  from  Shelvocke, 
every  seaman  on  deck  sprang  into  the  rigging,  and  gave  the 
ship  three  hurricane  cheers.  An  officer  with  his  arm  in  a 
sling  responded  by  raising  his  hat,  but  no  other  notice  was 
taken  of  us. 

"Is  she  one  of  the  Channel  squadron,  I  wonder?"  said 
Shelvocke,  watching  her  with  great  interest.  "  If  so,  there 
has  probably  been  a  general  engagement,  perhaps  off  Finis- 
terre,  where  our  fleet  were  last  heard  of.  Mark  how  she 
lifts  to  the  swell!  Saw  you  ever  such  sickly  rolling  before? 
She  must  be  half  full  of  water,  and  it  is  strange  there  is  no 
tender  in  company.  I  would  not  undertake  to  navigate  a 
vessel  in  that  condition  twenty  leagues." 

Her  rolling  was  made  all  the  more  impressive  by  the 
swell  being  very  light;  she  swayed  to  and  fro  like  around- 
bottom  vessel,  that,  being  depressed  on  one  side,  continues 
its  oscillations  for  a  long  time  in  the  smoothest  water.  I 
stood  watching  her  until  she  was  a  long  way  astern,  and 
then  went  to  my  cabin  and  slept  for  four  hours  like  a  top. 

And  now  for  the  space  of  a  fortnight  not  a  single  adven- 
ture of  any  kind  befell  us.  It  seemed  as  if  all  the  luck 
that  was  to  attend  the  Tigress  had  been  squeezed  into  the 
first  few  days  of  her  cruise,  and  that  nothing  more  was  to 
happen.  We  sailed  along  the  coast  of  France  as  close  in  as 
we  dared  venture,  and  on  one  occasion  were  so  well  inshore 
- — this  was  off  the  Pointe  de  Penmarch — that  we  could  see 
a  number  of  soldiers  and  villagers  looking  at  us  from  the 
top  of  the  cliffs,  and  a  French  man-of-war  at  anchor  in  the 
bay  that  opens  the  river  upon  or  near  which  the  town  of 
Quimper  is  situated. 


TO  THE  WEST.  235 

Indeed,  our  audacity  grew  with  our  disappointments,  and 
I  have  often  thought  over  the  hundred  chances  we  gave  the 
enemy  of  capturing  us.  The  truth  was,  the  numerous  re- 
verses that  France  had  suffered  at  sea  had  almost  emptied 
the  ocean  of  her  merchantmen.  I  believe  half  the  priva- 
teers would  have  given  up  this  year  had  we  been  concerned 
in  no  other  than  the  French  war.  Two-thirds  and  perhaps 
more  of  the  merchandise  of  France  were  being  carried  in 
neutral  bottoms,  and,  as  Shelvocke  had  all  along  said,  re- 
ferring of  course  exclusively  to  France,  the  only  chances 
which  the  English  Channel  offered  to  privateers  were  re- 
captures like  the  Hanover,  or  the  inglorious  sport  of  hunt- 
ing down  small  craft  like  the  lugger  we  chased  and  sank 
between  Dunkirk  and  the  Goodwins. 

At  last  came  a  morning  when  Shelvocke's  patience  gave 
way.  The  Vendee  coast  was  a  clear  green,  and  brown,  and 
white-streaked  outline  on  our  port-beam;  a  fresh  breeze 
was  blowing  over  our  port  quarter,  and  the  schooner  was 
chopping  slowly  through  the  surges  which  ran  way  ahead 
of  us  in  burnished  surfaces  a  short  distance  before  they 
broke  into  sheets  of  sparkling  foam,  under  her  mainsail  and 
jib  only. 

"  Look  around  you,  Madison, "  exclaimed  Shelvocke ; 
"was  there  ever  such  a  wilderness!  There  is  not  a  six- 
penny bit  to  be  found  in  these  seas.  Will  any  man  believe 
that  this  schooner  has  been  coasting  the  best-armed  of  the 
French  seaboards  without  encountering  a  single  vessel  of 
any  kind  or  description?" 

"Ay,  and  without  provoking  a  single  Government  ship 
to  come  out  and  have  a  closer  look  at  her." 

"  Where  are  the  English  blockaders,  I  wonder?  where  is 
the  Channel  squadron?  A  month  ago  I  know  that  the 
offing  for  leagues  swarmed  with  our  cruisers.  Has  peace 
been  signed?  Why,  this  is  worse  than  Churchill's  Scotch- 
men feeding 

"'Like  half-starved  spiders  upon  half-starved  flies.' 

There  is  not  even  cold  porridge  for  us  here." 

He  shaded  his  eyes  with  his  hands,  and  bent  a  steady, 
scrutinizing  look  upon  the  French  coast  and  away  around 
upon  the  sea-line. 


236  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

"Not  even  a  fishing-smack,"  he  said.  "  And  the  men  are 
spoiling.  All  their  old  merchant-service  instincts  are  bud- 
ding upon  them  like  funguses  upon  trees.  They'll  lose 
their  taste  for  fighting  if  this  lasts,  and  will  forget  how  to 
load  a  gun.  See  their  idle,  sprawling  postures,  like  the 
boatmen  of  a  fashionable  watering-place." 

He  made  a  few  quick  turns  along  the  deck. 

"  I  have  had  enough  of  it,"  he  exclaimed.  "It's  time  to 
give  the  Yankees  a  turn.  So  "get  all  sail  made,  Mr.  Madi- 
son. Helm,  there!  let  her  go  round,  and  keep  her  at 
southwest!" 

"Make  sail,  the  watch!"  I  shouted.  "Crack  on  all, 
men!  Jump  aloft  and  loose  the  square  canvas — every 
stitch  of  it!" 

In  a  moment  all  was  bustle.  The  great  mainsail  jibed 
as  the  schooner  swept  round  on  the  port-tack;  the  froth 
spat  and  buzzed  alongside :  as  cloth  after  cloth  was  extended 
to  the  strong  breeze,  the  slope  of  the  deck  grew  a  sharper 
angle.  Presently  the  schooner  was  a  lofty,  broad,  and 
beautifully  symmetrical  surface  of  canvas,  the  little  snow- 
white  skysail  topping  the  great  column  of  canvas  forward, 
the  jibs  curving  from  the  jibbooms,  the  main  boom  over 
the  quarter.  The  rush  of  the  vessel  was  felt  in  the  thrill- 
ing of  the  deck,  and  with  a  mile  of  silver-bright  wake 
astern  of  her,  and  the  smoke  and  flashing  of  spray  across 
the  forecastle,  the  Tigress  fled  across  the  heaving  waters  of 
the  Bay  of  Biscay  for  the  great  Atlantic  deep  bej'ond. 

"  Where  away  now  in  such  a  hurry,  sir?"  asked  Tapping. 

"For  the  West  Indies — the  latitudes  of  rich  freights, 
man!"  I  answered;  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  news  that  we 
were  bound  for  a  long  stretch  of  salt  water  was  all  over  the 
schooner. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE    STORM-FIEND. 

The  morning  of  the  first  of  September  broke  with  a 
lowering  and  gloomy  sky.  We  had  left  the  coast  of  France 
a  long  distance  astern  of  us,  but  from  a  privateersman's 
wish  to  make  a  beam-wind  of  the  northeast  trades  when 
we  should  have  run  into  them,  and  with  the  hope  of  netting 
one  of  the  numerous  contraband  Guineamen  crossing  the 
Atlantic  for  the  Spanish  Main,  or  some  of  the  French  In- 
diamen  homeward  bound,  Shelvocke  had  made  a  much  more 
southerly  course  than  was  necessary  for  the  run  to  the  West 
Indies. 

All  through  the  night  it  had  been  so  sultry  as  to  drive 
the  men  out  of  their  hammocks  under  the  decks,  and  force 
them  to  take  their  rest  alongside  the  guns  and  under  the 
boats,  where  they  were  kept  rather  uncomfortably  cool  by 
the  showers  of  dew  which  fell  from  the  sails,  and  by  the 
humidity  of  the  air  that  whitened  the  rigging  and  the  fife- 
rails  and  every  other  part  of  the  vessel  where  the  damp 
lodged  in  lines,  with  millions  of  crystal  globules  which 
streamed  away  in  water  on  being  touched. 

I  was  on  deck  when  the  sun  rose,  and  could  scarcely 
credit  that  the  bleared,  rayless,  reddish  disc  that  was  hove 
out  of  the  broken  and  swelling  deep  was  the  familiar  day 
luminary.  The  sea  was  a  dark,  sallow-green  heaving  plain, 
of  this  one  gloomy  and  ugly  color  on  all  sides,  not  a  break 
of  froth  to  relieve  the  menacing  monotony  of  its  stormy  and 
chafing  aspect.  The  sky  was  a  mere  space  of  leaden  gray, 
like  the  sea,  unbroken  by  a  single  point  of  light  or  relieved 
by  the  shadow  of  darker  clouds ;  in  a  corner  of  which  hung 
the  newly  risen  sun,  like  a  reddish  ground-glass  globe  over 
a  dull  argand,  shedding  a  trickling  reflection,  as  pale  as  the 
light  of  a  crescent  November  moon,  on  the  sickly  green 


238  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

swell  beneath  it.  There  was  a  small  draught  of  wind  blow- 
ing from  the  east,  but  every  roll  of  the  schooner  shook  the 
current  of  air  out  of  the  sails,  and  the  tumblification  was 
sometimes  so  furious  that  we  had  to  hold  on  with  our  hands 
to  save  ourselves  from  being  dashed  from  one  side  of  the 
deck  to  the  other.  The  water  burst  through  the  scupper- 
holes  in  smoke,  and  poured  through  the  hawse-holes  as  the 
vessel  pitched,  and  washed  high  as  the  keel  of  the  gig  over 
the  stern.  One  moment  you  could  have  touched  the  water 
over  the  taffrail,  the  next  it  was  like  looking  clown  from 
the  top  of  a  mountain.  Men  who  had  been  to  sea  all  their 
lives,  and  to  whom  a  jumping  deck  offered  a  securer  foot- 
ing than  the  steadiness  of  the  land,  went  sprawling  in  all 
directions,  the  moment  they  let  go  with  their  hands. 

I  had  noticed  Tapping  uncommonly  pale,  but  could  not 
conceive  the  cause  until  the  Tigress  giving  a  courtesy  that 
dished  a  green  sea  over  the  forecastle,  and  sent  a  number  of 
fellows  racing  aft,  rolling  and  blowing,  and  laughing,  and 
shaking  themselves,  as  they  rushed  floundering  into  the 
waist,  I  was  amazed  to  see  my  friend  dart  to  the  lee  bul- 
warks, giving  me,  as  he  ran,  a  most  woebegone  glance  with 
his  bilious,  bloodshot  eyes,  over  which  he  hung  as  sick  as 
a  Frenchman,  and  like  a  Frenchman,  groaning  and  convuls- 
ing his  body,  and  taking  a  squint  along  the  deck,  first  on 
one  side,  and  then  on  the  other,  every  time  he  sacrificed,  to 
see  if  anybody  was  watching  him. 

The  strain  aloft,  however,  was  getting  rather  more  than 
I  thought  good ;  so  I  ordered  the  main  topmast  to  be  struck, 
and  not  having  great  confidence  in  our  own  new  hemp,  I 
had  the  lower  rigging  swiftered;  the  mainsail  was  then 
lowered,  as  it  was  of  no  use,  and  bade  fair  to  chafe  to 
pieces,  and  the  schooner  was  left  to  tumble  about  under  her 
jib  and  gaff-foresail. 

And,  indeed,  it  was  the  most  uncomfortable  experience  of 
the  kind  she  had  yet  given  us.  Tapping  was  not  the  only 
man  she  had  nauseated.  The  cook  was  too  sick  to  attend 
to  his  duty,  and  the  only  thing  hot  we  were  promised  for 
the  cabin  breakfast  was  coffee ;  but  even  this  small  luxury 
was  denied  us  by  the  cook  falling  head  over  heels  down  the 
companion-ladder  with  the  coffee-pot  in  his  hand.  So  we 
had  to  make  out  a  meal  with  cold  grog  and  a  piece  of  salted 


THE  STORM-FIEND.  239 

brisket,  and  a  mighty  unpleasant  meal  it  was.  The  ledge 
of  the  table  saved  the  plates  from  sliding  on  to  the  deck, 
but  there  was  nothing  to  prevent  the  contents  of  one's  plate 
from  rolling  into  one's  lap;  and  after  forking  up  for  a  fifth 
time  a  piece  of  beef  from  between  my  knees,  I  begged 
Shelvocke  to  excuse  me  from  using  a  knife  and  fork  any 
longer,  and  finished  the  meal  with  a  bit  of  beef  in  one  hand, 
and  a  biscuit  in  the  other. 

"Now,"  said  I,  as  Chestree  crawled  from  under  the  table 
with  the  mustard-pot,  that  had  fetched  away  down  his  legs 
on  to  the  cabin  floor,  decorating  his  unmentionables  in  its 
passage  with  a  very  tidy  streak,  as  you  may  believe,  "  will 
any  gentleman  sneer  at  the  preference  I  ventured  to  express 
at  this  same  table  some  time  ago,  for  a  garden  and  a  cot- 
tage ashore,  to  a  heaving,  sickening,  muddling,  tumbling, 
however  beautifully  constructed,  machine  like  this  schooner, 
that  sends  Tapping  to  hang  his  face  over  the  side,  and  starts 
Chestree  to  crawl  upon  his  knees  after  the  breakfast 
things?" 

"  I  have  always  looked  for  a  dance  of  this  kind  whenever 
old  Neptune  took  a  fancy  for  a  frisk  with  the  beauty  whose 
home  is  his  bosom — there's  a  passage  in  your  line, 
Madison!"  said  Shelvocke.  "But  how  can  any  vessel  of 
this  tonnage  help  rolling  with  such  a  top-hamper  of  iron 
as  grins  along  our  decks?  Go  and  build  a  tower  atop  of 
your  little  cottage,  and  I'll  warrant  you  the  first  gale  of 
wind  will  hoist  you  out  of  your  bed,  and  make  you  hungry 
for  the  safety  of  the  sea." 

"Do  but  listen  to  the  groaning  of  the  timbers,  captain!" 
cried  Chestree.  "  If  one  will  but  think  of  it,  sir,  man  must 
be  a  courageous  animal  to  build  a  hollow  ark  and  sit  in  the 
midst  of  the  sea,  and  eat  and  drink  and  joke.  You  would 
not  catch  a  beast  of  the  field  adventuring  such  an  exploit, 
sir. " 

"Excuse  me,  Mr.  Chestree,  there  is  a  large  blob  of 
mustard  on  the  front  of  your  shirt.  Well,  Mr.  Madison, 
how  is  this  going  to  end?     In  a  gale,  do  you  think?" 

"I  do,  captain.  As  you  judge  of  a  man's  temper  by  the 
expression  in  his  eye,  so  I  look  at  the  sun  to  observe  what 
sort  of  a  mood  nature's  in.  That  bleared  bloodshot  orb 
shows   that  nature's  in  a  rage.     Feel  the  panting  of  her 


240  AN  OCEAN  FREELANCE. 

mighty  breast  under  us,  sir.  Chestree,  kindly  catch  my 
glass  before  it  capsizes  over  you." 

"Where  can  this  abominable  swell  be  coming  from?" 
exclaimed  Shelvocke.  "Either  there  must  be  a  tempest 
close  to  us  or  a  storm  has  very  recently  passed.  It's  as 
bad  as  one  of  the  lulls  off  Cape  Horn." 

The  motion  was  made  more  impressive — I  had  almost 
written  startling — by  the  uproar  it  occasioned  throughout 
the  vessel,  and  which  we  in  the  cabin  could  hear  to  perfec- 
tion. The  swell,  as  it  struck  the  schooner  under  the 
counter,  boomed  through  the  hollow  fabric  as  though  a 
thirty-two  pounder  had  been  fired  under  our  feet,  and  one 
of  these  swells  hove  us  up  to  such  a  height  that  every 
movable  article  on  the  table  went  clattering  and  jingling 
away  to  the  foremost  end  of  it,  and  while  the  three  of  us 
swung  with  our  arms  round  the  stanchions  like  drunken  lords 
to  lamp-posts,  Shelvocke  bawled  out: 

"Madison,  you  can  now  understand  what  Gulliver  felt 
when  the  eagle  flew  away  with  the  poor  little  chap's  cage!" 

The  bulkheads  strained  as  though  they  must  burst 
asunder;  every  timber,  every  plank,  every  bolt  had  some- 
thing to  say  on  the  subject  of  this  crazy,  walloping  usage, 
and  the  small  arms  rattled  like  a  regiment  of  charging 
dragoons  in  the  rack  against  the  foremost  partition. 
Indeed,  it  was  like  being  rolled  down  a  hill  in  a  barrel  into 
which  a  bucket  of  oyster-shells  had  been  flung. 

I  was  not  sorry  when  Shelvocke  left  the  table.  How- 
ever, instead  of  following  him  on  deck,  I  entered  my  berth, 
as  it  was  my  watch  below,  and  I  was  too  old  a  seabird  not 
to  turn  in  while  there  was  a  chance  of  getting  some  rest, 
more  especially  in  the  face  of  a  storm  that  threatened  us 
with  a  long  spell  of  wakefulness.  And,  indeed,  I  do  be- 
lieve that  only  a  sailor  or  a  baby  could  have  slept  amid 
such  an  uproar  of  groaning  beams  and  thumping  and  boom- 
ing water  as  filled  the  cabin.  I  left  my  door  open  ready 
for  the  first  call,  and  lay  down  in  my  boots;  and  in  a  short 
time  was,  I  dare  say,  contributing  to  the  general  hullabaloo. 

A  loud  cry  sounding  through  the  skylight  aroused  me. 
I  heard  the  whistling  of  the  boatswain's  pipe  and  the  run- 
ning about  of  men.  I  looked  at  my  watch  and  found  I  had 
been  asleep  an  hour  and  a  quarter ;  but  it  was  so  dark  I  had 


THE  STORM-FIEND.  241 

to  bring  the  watch  close  to  my  nose  before  I  could  read  the 
dial.  The  motion  of  the  schooner  was  much  less  violent 
than  it  had  been  when  I  lay  down,  also  it  was  evident  to 
me  that  there  was  no  wind,  though  the  activity  of  the  watch 
on  deck  betokened  a  change  of  some  sort  at  hand. 

Considering  that  it  was  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the 
evening  gloom  that  prevailed  was  not  a  little  ominous  and 
alarming.  It  was  like  an  eclipse  of  the  sun,  and  though 
the  watch  below  had  received  no  summons,  I  tumbled  out 
of  my  bunk  and  went  on  deck. 

Never  before  in  all  my  life  had  I  witnessed  such  a  sight 
as  it  was  now  my  fortune  to  behold.  Stretched  across  the 
whole  surface  of  the  sky  lay  a  dense,  dark  cloud,  the 
malignant  bluish  hue  of  which  as  much  resembled  a  quantity 
of  ink  smeared  across  a  sheet  of  paper  with  a  brush  as  any- 
thing I  can  imagine  to  liken  it  to.  But  this  was  only  the 
canvas  or  ground  upon  which  nature  had  worked  a  most 
terrific  piece  of  cloud  tapestry.  Right  round  the  horizon 
was  stretched  what  sailors  would  call  a  "grummet"  of 
sooty  vapor — dense,  motionless — like  some  gigantic  chim- 
ney's outpouring  that  had  settled  low  upon  the  sea,  and 
choked  out  of  the  heavens  the  very  air  that  should  have 
scattered  it.  But  in  the  east  there  hung,  as  though  poised 
upon  the  upper  line  of  this  horrible  inky  circle,  layer  upon 
layer  of  huge  clouds,  each  layer  overhanging  the  other  like 
the  scales  of  old  armor,  the  lower  tiers  being  of  a  blackness 
that  projected,  by  the  sheer  relief  of  the  contrast  of  hue, 
the  portion  of  the  sooty  vapor  upon  which  they  leaned  their 
ponderous  and  dreadful  burdens.  Under  this  sky,  the 
awful  character  of  which  no  pen  could  express — for  what 
language  could  convey  that  reactive  quality  which  informed 
it  with  its  peculiar  horror,  the  awe,  the  amazement  it 
excited  in  the  mind,  the  shock  that  the  first  sight  of  it  gave 
to  the  nerves? — under  this  sky,  I  say,  the  sea  lay  as  dark 
as  you  shall  have  beheld  it  in  the  twilight,  the  horizon 
swallowed  up  in  the  gloom  and  the  haze,  so  that  the  schooner 
appeared  to  be  heaving  on  a  small  surface  of  water  in  the 
interior  of  a  globe  of  cloud. 

Such  indeed  was  the  darkness  that  the  eye  could  not  fol- 
low the  run  of  the  swell  above  half  a  mile  distant  from  the 
vessel.     Every  stitch  of  canvas  had  been  furled  with  the 
36 


242         AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

exception  of  the  close-reefed  gaff-foresail,  and  the  men 
were  employed  in  snugging  the  decks,  hauling  taut  the 
running  rigging,  looking  to  the  gun-lashings,  and  making 
every  preparation  for  the  coming  tempest.  I  particularly 
noticed  the  manner  in  which  they  glanced  up  at  the  sky  and 
in  the  direction  of  the  ponderous  cloud-layers.  Probably 
no  man  among  them  had  ever  witnessed  such  a  sight ;  and 
now  that  no  more  running  about  was  necessary,  their  sub- 
dued manner,  their  alarmed  faces,,  their  voices  toned  into 
awed  whispers,  exhibited  with  singular  impressiveness  the 
influence  ©f  the  portentous  heavens  upon  them. 

"Did  any  one  ever  see  such  a  sight  before?"  said  Shel- 
vocke,  who  had  noticed  me  the  moment  I  came  on  deck, 
and  now  joined  me.  "  I  hope  it  may  not  cost  us  our  guns. 
I  thought  at  first  it  would  end  in  rain ;  but  the  gathering 
of  that  ring,  and  above  all  the  upheaval  of  those  giant 
clouds  yonder,  undeceived  me.  That  black,  horizontal  circle 
is  a  real  phenomenon.  It  has  taken  a  whole  hour  to  gather; 
but  for  the  last  ten  minutes,  and  even  longer,  it  has  not 
risen,  I  was  going  to  say,  an  inch.  We  are  in  the  centre 
of  a  regular  belt.  I  believed  it  an  atmospheric  illusion 
while  watching  it  at  the  beginning.  There  must  have  been 
a  swirl  of  wind  to  have  caused  it;  yet  for  the  last  hour  it 
has  been  a  dead  calm  here." 

"  It  has  given  us  time,  sir,  and  we  are  ready  for  it. 
That's  one  good  job.  But  it's  enough  to  quail  a  man. 
Do  you  notice  the  cowering  attitudes  of  the  crew,  sir? 
The  worst  of  this  sort  of  thing  is,  you  never  can  tell  what's 
coming." 

"Imagine  a  battle  like  Trafalgar  amid  this  gloom!" 
exclaimed  Shelvocke.  "  See!"  he  added,  as  a  flash  of  light- 
ning sparked  out  from  the  lower  strata  of  the  piled-up  clouds 
and  glanced  a  dull  blue  glare  across  the  sky,  "there's  the 
first  gun  of  a  bigger  engagement  than  human  enemies  are 
ever  likely  to  be  concerned  in." 

Presently  the  boom  of  thunder  came  down  slow  and  faint. 
It  grew  gradually  darker  and  darker;  it  was  impossible  to 
trace  the  masts  to  their  topmost  points;  the  binnacle  lamp 
was  lighted,  and  the  candle  flame  threw  a  haze  upon  the 
air  just  as  it  did  at  night.  The  watch  below  had  turned 
out  alarmed  by  this  Egyptian  darkness,  and  blackened  the 


THE  STOHM-FIEND.  243 

decks  with  their  figures  as  they  stood  whispering  or  shuffled 
uneasily  from  place  to  place. 

It  is  bad  enough  on  land  to  find  one's  self  under  a  dense 
thunder-cloud  and  waiting  for  the  first  flash.  At  sea  the 
suspense  is  increased  out  of  all  comparison  by  the  feeling 
that  one's  vessel  is,  perhaps,  the  only  point  upon  the  ocean 
for  leagues  and  leagues  for  the  lightning  to  aim  at.  When 
I  first  went  to  sea,  the  ship  I  was  in  was  becalmed  one 
afternoon  in  the  Bay  of  Bengal,  in  company  with  a  small 
trading  vessel.  A  storm  gathered,  there  was  a  fierce  flash 
of  lightning,  almost  simultaneously  followed  by  an  explo- 
sion— the  whole  air  seemed  to  be  filled  with  live  embers — ■ 
and  then  came  a  crash  of  thunder  as  though  heaven  were 
echoing  back  the  deafening  explosion  of  the  country-wallah. 
Such  fatalities  are,  happily,  rare;  but  I  had  witnessed  one 
of  them  at  a  time  of  life  when  the  impressions  a  man  gets 
are  usually  deep  and  lasting,  and  I  viewed  with  uncomfort- 
able misgivings  these  sooty,  stooping,  overburdened  masses 
of  vapor,  and  the  early  night  their  shadows  had  flung  upon 
sea  and  sky. 

"Is  that  you,  Mr.  Madison?"  exclaimed  Shelvocke,  who 
had  .walked  aft  and  stood  near  the  binnacle. 

"Yes,  sir." 

"Call  all  hands." 

"All  hands  are  on  deck,  sir." 

"  Then  get  the  hatches  on,  and  stand  by  to  let  the  lee- 
foremast  and  aftermost  broadside  guns  go  overboard  should 
the  order  be  necessary." 

These  were  significant  instructions.  The  hatches  were 
battened,  and  hands  told  off  to  stand  by  the  guns.  And 
now  we  had  not  long  to  wait- 

First  came  the  rain;  it  plumped  down  as  though  a  travel- 
ling waterfall  had  taken  us  on  its  way.  The  suddenness 
and  weight  of  the  downpour  were  astounding,  and  the 
noise  of  the  gushing  and  cascading  and  sluicing  of  water 
was  as  bad  as  half  a  dozen  great  cataracts.  A  blinding 
flash  of  lightning  streamed  across  this  water  veil  and  made 
hail  of  it,  which  pounded  and  hammered  and  beat  down 
upon  us  as  though  buckets  of  grape  and  canister  were  being 
emptied  on  our  devoted  heads.  The  roaring  of  this  fall 
was  scarcely  silenced  by  the  peal  of  thunder  that  crashed 


244         AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

immediately  over  us,  and  the  lashed  sea  looked  like  snow 
under  the  fierce  and  shattering  discharge. 

This  ceased  with  the  same  alarming  suddenness  with 
which  it  had  begun,  and  the  moment  I  could  squeeze  the 
water  out  of  my  eyes  and  look  about  me,  I  saw  the  wind 
coming.  There  was  no  need  to  sing  out,  for  every  eye  was 
upon  it.  The  sea  was  like  molten  lead  everywhere  but  in 
the  east,  where  the  horizon  appeared  to  be  lifted  into  a 
bluish-white  ridge,  immediately  over  which  the  black  clouds 
were  twisting  and  flying  like  the  rushing  and  eddying  of  a 
ship's  wake,  or  a  fierce  current  full  of  whirlpools;  while  to 
right  and  left  of  these  tumultuous  vaporous  masses  there 
was  an  opening,  not  indeed  of  blue  sky,  but  of  the  sky  as 
it  appears  when  discolored  by  a  thin  body  of  smoke,  through 
each  of  which,  but  for  a  brief  while  only,  and  travelling 
toward  us  like  the  spoke  of  a  revolving  wheel,  there  slanted 
a  sickly,  yellow,  unearthly  looking  sunbeam,  the  light  of 
which  seemed  to  blast  the  very  water  over  which  it  fled. 
It  was  a  glimpse,  and  merely  a  glimpse,  of  one  of  those 
spectacles  of  terrific,  I  had  almost  said  supernatural,  gran- 
deur which  a  man  must  go  to  sea  to  behold.  In  an  instant 
the  tempest  had  changed  the  scene  into  a  heaven  of  flying 
black  vapor  and  streaming  lightning,  and  an  ocean  as  white 
as  wool,  the  very  swell  of  which  was  hurled  flat  by  the  fury 
of  the  blast,  amid  which  lay  the  Tigress,  with  the  mere 
shred  of  gaff-foresail  she  had  exhibited  in  rags,  her  lee  bul- 
warks under  the  foam,  her  lee  fore-topmast  rigging  stand- 
ing in  circles  like  iron  half-hoops,  motionless  upon  the  level 
froth ;  as  you  might  paint  a  vessel  stranded  on  her  bilge  on 
an  Arctic  plain  of  snow. 

I  had  posted  myself  near  Shelvocke,  in  order  to  receive 
his  instructions,  and  we  stood  clinging  to  the  backstays 
watching  the  behavior  of  the  schooner.  What  angle  her 
mast  made  I  could  not  guess;  bat  I  know  that  for  some 
time  the  foaming  sea  to  leeward  was  up  to  the  main-hatch, 
and  the  whole  of  the  starboard  guns  and  the  bulwarks 
were  out  of  sight  under  the  water,  and  the  men  up  to  their 
necks. 

And  this,  be  it  remembered,  with  no  other  canvas  ex- 
hibited but  the  rags  of  the  close-reefed  gaff -foresail. 

The  helm  was  jammed  hard  over,  and  after  an  interval 


THE  STORM-FIEND.  245 

the  noble  little  vessel  began  to  pay  off,  as  though,  like  some 
creature  of  instinct,  she  had  been  willing  to  test  the  strength 
of  her  grappling  enemy  before  running.  I  looked  at  Shel- 
vocke  as  the  schooner,  in  wearing,  righted,  and  he  shouted, 
"Magnificent!"  And  so  it  was,  for  had  she  been  one  jot 
less  worthy,  the  hurricane  would  have  had  her  on  her  beam- 
ends  and  her  masts  along  the  water  with  the  first  blast. 

As  her  jibbooms  swept  around  her  decks  became  level, 
and  with  the  water  up  to  one's  knees  gushing  overboard 
from  every  part  of  her,  and  her  guns  like  polished  jet  with 
the  wet,  and  huge  flakes  of  spray  flying  over  her  stern  and 
ripping  through  the  rigging  like  a  storm  of  snow,  and  the 
men  clinging  to  whatever  came  to  their  hands  with  the  con- 
formation of  their  bodies  ribbed  and  lined  upon  their  soak- 
ing garments,  the  Tigress  raced  like  an  arrow  along  the 
seething  surface  of  the  deep,  piling  the  foam  as  high  as  her 
catheads,  while  the  hurricane  yelled  through  her  rigging 
and  roared  under  the  pitch-black  sky  that  the  lightning  was 
tearing  asunder  from  horizon  to  horizon. 

"  Get  a  new  foresail  bent, "  cried  Shelvocke,  with  his 
mouth  close  to  my  ear,  and  shouting  at  the  top  of  his  voice, 
"  and  let  us  heave  the  schooner  to  be  fore  the  sea  rises. " 

I  went  forward  to  execute  his  orders,  but  at  every  step  I 
took  I  had  to  seize  hold  of  a  belay ing-pin,  or  a  coil  of 
rope,  or  a  gun-tackle,  to  prevent  myself  from  being  dashed 
down  upon  the  deck  by  the  violence  of  the  wind,  and  so 
prodigious  was  the  propulsion  of  the  hurricane,  that  it 
required  my  utmost  strength  to  maintain  a  grasp  of  the 
object  I  seized.  It  was  as  though  half  a  dozen  men  were 
endeavoring  to  thrust  me  forward,  and  by  the  time  I  reached 
the  waist  I  was  soaking  with  perspiration. 

With  incredible  labor  a  new  sail  was  reefed  and  bent,  and 
a  shred  of  it  hoisted,  and  the  schooner  was  brought  to  the 
wind,  and  lay  with  her  lee-bulwarks  buried,  straining  upon 
a  sea  that  was  every  moment  growing  heavier,  and  almost 
hidden  by  the  showers  of  spume  which  flashed  like  feathers 
over  her.  Meanwhile,  the  sky  had  grown  a  shade  or  two 
lighter,  there  was  no  more  lightning,  and  the  huge  layers 
of  clouds  which  had  risen  in  the  east  had  all  gone  away  to 
leeward,  and  lay  in  a  pitch-black  pile  upon  the  horizon. 

But  never  had  mortal  eye  beheld   a  wilder,  stormier^ 


246         AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

gloomier  picture  of  warring  winds  and  waters  watched  by  a 
more  scowling  sky,  than  the  scene  that  we  surveyed  from 
the  deck  of  the  Tigress.  The  seas  had  grown  into  livid 
coils  as  high  and  menacing  as  the  combers  which  the  west- 
erly gales  of  the  Pacific  heave  in  thunder  upon  the  shores 
of  that  mighty  deep.  Far  as  the  eye  could  reach  the  ocean 
resembled  a  boiling  caldron,  and  one  could  follow  the 
huge  lifting  of  the  creaming  surges  against  the  leaden 
sky  of  the  horizon.  The  schooner  rode  with  wonderful 
buoyancy,  with  the  most  expert  helmsmen  aboard  of  her  at 
the  tiller;  but  ease  her  as  they  would,  from  time  to  time  the 
head  of  a  towering  sea  would  strike  her  midway  between 
the  gangway  and  the  bows,  before  she  could  lift  to  it,  and 
whole  tons  of  glittering  green  water  would  swoop  through 
the  rigging  and  fill  the  decks  with  a  foamy  current  which 
the  next  heavy  send  to  leeward  would  swirl  like  a  cataract 
over  the  bulwark  into  the  raging  waves  beyond. 

I  was  standing  holding  on  to  a  rope's  end  near  the  after- 
most gun,  listening  to  the  hooting  and  roaring  of  the  gale, 
and  watching  the  frenzied  ocean  with  awe  and  amazement, 
and  contrasting  man's  physical  littleness  with  the  astound- 
ing genius  that  enabled  him  to  live  through,  if  not  to  defy, 
such  a  furious  combination  of  powers  as  were  now  hurling 
their  full  and  treacherous  forces  against  us,  when  I  was 
startled  by  a  loud  and  fearful  shout  from  a  group  of  men 
who  had  secured  themselves  to  the  mainmast;  and  looking 
in  the  direction  toward  which  they  pointed,  I  was  horrified 
to  observe  a  large  ship  with  her  fore-topsail  in  rags,  head- 
ing directly  for  us  at  a  distance  of  not  more  than  half  a 
league. 

Scarcely  had  my  eye  rested  on  her  when  another  loud 
cry  was  raised,  and  the  schooner  soaring  at  that  moment  on 
the  summit  of  a  huge  sea,  I  saw  to  the  right  and  left  of  the 
approaching  ship  no  less  than  eight  large  vessels,  some  of 
them  close  together,  all  of  them  tearing  furiously  before  the 
gale. 

"A  convoy!"  roared  Shelvocke,  who  stood  close  behind 
me.  "See!  there's  a  line-of-battle  ship — and  look  there! 
and  there!"  he  pointed  first  toward  the  weather-bow,  and 
then  toward  the  weather-quarter,  and  sure  enough  at  each, 
point  the  water  was  studded  with  rushing  ships,  some  barely 


THE  STORM-FIEND.  247 

visible  in  the  distance,  some  stretching  like  clouds  of  smoke 
athwart  of  our  hawse  and  away  along  the  horizon  astern. 
There  were  sixty  'or  seventy  of  them ;  they  looked  as  though 
the  London  Docks  had  fetched  away,  and  the  ships  in  them 
blown  out  to  sea. 

But  no  one  thought  of  counting  them  then;  no  one 
thought  of  the  wildly  picturesque  show  they  made.  The 
great  black  ship  that  had  been  first  sighted  was  swooping 
down  toward  us  with  the  velocity  of  the  very  hurricane  itself. 
She  did  not  appear  to  see  us,  and  as  we  watched  her, 
utterly  powerless  to  help  ourselves,  there  was  not  a  man 
who  did  not  reckon  that  his  life  was  to  be  counted  by  the 
few  minutes  which  would  pass  before  the  ship  struck  us. 
The  horror  and  danger  of  the  hurricane  were  forgotten ;  we 
only  thought  of  the  ship  that  threatened  to  dash  into  and 
sink  us. 

I  looked  at  Shelvocke.  His  eyes  were  on  the  vessel,  and 
by  the  expression  on  his  face  I  knew  he  not  only  expected 
the  worst,  but  was  ready  for  it.  He  had  planted  himself 
in  one  of  those  set,  determined  attitudes  which  resolute  men 
will  involuntarily  fall  into  when  a  great  danger  is  upon 
them;  his  teeth  were  locked — -I  could  see  that  by  the  swell 
of  the  temple  over  the  brow — his  arms  were  tightly  folded, 
and  his  right  leg  thrown  forward. 

In  truth,  there  was  nothing  to  be  done;  there  was  no 
time  for  the  schooner  to  pay  off  even  had  we  been  willing 
to  meet  the  certainty  of  our  decks  being  swept  and  run  the 
imminent  hazard  of  the  vessel  foundering  under  our  feet. 
The  approaching  ship  upon  which  every  eye  was  bent,  and 
whose  coming  1  watched  with  suspended  breath,  dashing 
the  spray  from  my  eyes  as  the  raging  wind  hurled  it  against 
my  face,  was  fully  eight  hundred  tons  in  burden,  with  a 
high  keen  stem  that  divided  the  water  into  two  hills  of 
foam,  each  as  high  as  her  forecastle-rail;  and  every  time 
her  stern  sank  and  her  bows  were  hove  up,  I  could  see  the 
copper,  streaming  with  white  lacings  of  spray,  down  to  her 
forefoot;  and  then  the  whole  broad,  black,  and  massive 
hull  would  disappear  behind  a  great  sea,  and  nothing  be 
visible  but  her  masts  and  her  long  black  yards,  which  swung 
from  side  to  side  as  the  gale  struck  the  slackly  braced  spars 
on  one  yardarm  and  then  on  the  other,  while  I  could  hear 


248  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

the  flogging  of  her  torn  topsail  sounding  like  an  endless 
succession  of  musket-firing ;  and  in  a  few  moments  up  she 
would  be  hove  again,  thrown  toward  the  scowling  heaven 
like  a  little  toy  upon  the  summit  of  a  sea,  until  the  whole 
fabric  seemed  to  be  flung  out  of  water,  and  we  looked  up  at 
her  with  white  faces  as  pinioned  men  would  gaze  at  some 
nodding  rock  about  to  fall  upon  them  from  a  mountain-top. 

Some  of  the  seamen  who  crowded  the  waist  shrieked;  some 
of  them  pulled  off  their  boots  and  coats ;  some  watched  and 
waited  with  stony  faces;  some,  as  I  imagined,  as  if  calcu- 
lating their  chances  should  they  leap  for  her  bow. 

I  turned  again  to  look  at  Shelvocke ;  he  tossed  his  hands 
with  a  wild  dramatic  gesture.  The  motion  instantly  sent 
my  eyes  toward  the  ship,  and  I  saw  that  she  had  shifted 
her  helm,  and  that,  although  she  was  almost  aboard  of  us, 
she  would  clear  us. 

I  sprang  on  to  the  bulwarks,  defying  the  hurricane,  hold- 
ing on  with  both  arms  round  a  backstay,  and  watched  her 
go  by.  There  is  no  describing  in  words  the  impression  her 
passage  produced.  She  was  half  as  lofty  again  as  we,  and 
she  swept  past  our  stern  like  a  huge  floating  tower  in  a  haze 
of  spray  and  froth,  lifting  when  she  was  broadside  on  to  our 
counter,  so  that  we  looked  up  her  sides  as  people  on  a  beach 
look  up  a  cliff,  passing  so  close  to  us  that  she  hove  half  her 
bow  wave  over  our  taffrail,  that  swept  the  men  at  the  tiller 
off  their  feet,  grazing  our  main-boom  with  her  fore-channel, 
and  carrying  away  our  peak  signal  halliards  with  her 
cross-jack  yardarm.  Her  decks  might  have  been  crowded 
with  people  for  all  we  knew,  but  her  bulwarks  hid  every- 
thing, and  not  a  human  being  was  visible.  Her  gun-ports 
were  closed,  her  boats  slewed  inboard,  her  running  rigging 
as  slack  as  a  watchguard;  the  hooting  of  the  hurricane 
among  the  ropes  was  deafening;  but  it  was  just  a  furious 
rush,  and  the  thing  was  over ;  it  was  like  seeing  a  cartload 
of  snow  flash  from  the  housetop  past  the  window  through 
which  you  are  looking. 

Scarcely  had  she  travelled  six  times  the  distance  of  her 
own  length,  when  she  put  her  helm  down  with  the  intention 
of  heaving  to.  I  got  off  the  bulwarks,  and,  crouching  under 
their  shelter,  watched  her.  She  was  obviously  acting  in 
obedience  to  a  signal  from  the  line-of -battle  ship,  who  had 


THE  STORM-FIEND.  249 

rounded  to,  and  whose  example  many  of  the  vessels  were 
following,  though  others,  whether  from  helplessness  or  fear 
of  broaching  to,  swept  wildly  on,  and  were  one  after  another 
swallowed  up  in  the  spray  and  gloom  of  the  near  horizon. 
As  her  broadside  came  up  to  the  wind,  she  lay  over  to  such 
a  degree  that  I  shouted  to  Shelvocke  she  was  foundering. 
The  enormous  seas  which  were  now  running  swept  over  her 
as  though  she  had  been  a  rock.  Every  time  the  surges 
swung  up  giddily  into  the  air  I  could  see  the  hull  of  her 
exposed  to  within  a  few  streaks  of  her  keel.  I  believe  that 
her  cargo  had  shifted,  for  her  lee  lower  yardarms  were  in 
the  water,  and  she  appeared  to  have  no  more  buoyancy  than 
a  water-logged  vessel. 

Meanwhile,  astern  and  to  windward  there  was  to  be  seen 
such  a  sight  as  few  men  have  had  the  fortune  to  behold. 
The  whole  ocean,  all  that  way,  was  covered  by  vessels  of 
various  rigs  and  sizes— ships,  brigs,  snows,  tartans, 
schooners,  pinks — hove  to,  some  under  storm  staysails, 
some  under  bare  poles,  some  with  shreds  of  canvas  stream- 
ing from  the  jackstays.  The  line-of-battle  ship  was  astern 
of  us;  near  her  were  two  large  Indiamen ;  abreast  of  us  was 
a  small  frigate,  and  beyond,  a  whole  squadron  of  vessels, 
wildly  plunging  upon  the  foaming  seas,  some  being  buried 
while  others  were  hurled  toward  the  sky,  every  vessel 
shrouded  from  time  to  time  in  vast  veils  of  spray,  a  few  of 
them  going  to  pieces  aloft,  and  two  with  the  English  ensign 
jack  down  in  the  rigging.  It  was  enough  to  scare  a  man  to 
see  all  these  ships  appearing  on  a  sudden  amid  a  raging 
surface  upon  which  our  schooner  was  the  only  visible  object 
a  few  minutes  ago. 

"I  never  remember  a  worse  hurricane  than  this,"  cried 
Shelvocke,  squatting  alongside  of  me  under  the  bulwarks, 
in  which  position  we  were  not  only  sheltered  from  the 
weather,  but  could  command  a  windward  view  through  the 
gun-port  near  which  we  crouched,  as  well  as  survey  the 
whole  scene  to  leeward.  "These  surely  must  be  the  May 
convoy  from  China  and  the  East,  or  what  should  they  be 
doing  here?     I  fear  that  some  of  them  are  doomed  ships." 

"  I  thought  we  should  have  been  the  first  to  go  just  now, 
sir." 

"Ay,  there  never  was  a  narrower  shave." 


250         AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

Sheltered  as  we  were,  yet  such  was  the  hellish  hooting 
through  the  rigging  and  the  roaring  of  the  tempest  through 
the  sky — a  sound  as  distinct  from  the  other  as  a  clap  of 
thunder  is  from  the  moaning  of  wind  through  a  window- 
casement — that  we  had  to  yell  out  our  words  to  make  each 
other  hear;  small  wonder,  therefore,  that  we  did  not  talk 
much.  Indeed  our  thoughts  were  engrossed  in  watching 
the  behavior  of  the  schooner  and  the  movements  of  the 
numerous  ships  which,  as  if  by  a  stroke  of  magic,  had  sud- 
denly crowded  the  waters  around  us. 

As  for  the  Tigress,  she  rose  and  fell  like  a  cork,  scal- 
ing the  watery  acclivities  as  a  sleeping  albatross  would, 
and  freeing  herself  with  an  alertness  that  resembled  the 
instinct  of  that  bird  from  the  falls  of  frothing  water  which, 
helped  by  the  wind,  ran  faster  than  she  could  rise,  and 
tumbled  like  a  scattering  of  thunderbolts  over  the  forward 
deck. 

But  the  poor  ship — she  that  had  nearly  run  us  down! 
She  lay  sheer  on  her  beam-ends  with  the  seas  flying  over 
her,  as  though  she  were  stranded.  Whether  she  was  under- 
manned, or  her  people  were  lubbers,  or  consisted  chiefly  of 
Lascars,  who  at  a  time  like  this  would,  I  knew  from  experi- 
ence, be  skulking  and  praying  in  corners,  I  could  not  guess; 
but  apparently  no  efforts  were  made  to  right  the  vessel;  the 
braces  were  slack,  the  hurricane  had  whipped  the  yards 
round,  and  as  not  only  her  royal-yards  were  crossed,  but  all 
her  sails  were  very  ill-stowed,  the  pressure  aloft  must  have 
been  enormous. 

Presently  a  man  swung  himself  into  the  mizzen-rigging, 
holding  a  small  red  ensign.  Hardly  had  he  reached  the 
second  ratline,  when  a  sea  struck  the  ship  just  under  her 
mizzen-channel,  and  ran  up  to  a  height  of  twenty  feet  in  a 
dark  green,  sparkling  column  before  the  wind  dashed  it  into 
smoke.  The  man,  clinging  to  the  rigging,  and  looking 
moredike  a  soaked  rag  than  a  human  being,  climbed  another 
foot  or  two,  and  then  attempted  to  seize  the  flag  with  the 
jack  down  to  one  of  the  shrouds;  but  he  had  no  sooner 
secured  one  corner  of  the  flag  than  the  seizing  gave  way, 
the  bunting  flashed  from  his  hand  and  was  swept  toward 
the  clouds,  resembling  as  it  went  a  flash  of  fire. 

"  Why  don't  they  cut  away  her  masts?"  roared  Shelvocke. 


"Why  don't   they    cut    away    her    masts?"    roared    Shelvocke. 
''  My  God  !     she  can't  last  another  five  minutes  in  that  posture." 

— Page  2jO. 


THE  STORM-FIEND.  251 

"My   God!    she  can't  last  another  five  minutes   in   that 
posture!" 

As  though  the  exclamation  had  been  uttered  on  board  the 
ship  herself,  he  had  hardly  spoken  when  several  men 
climbed,  evidently  with  great  difficulty,  over  the  slanting, 
almost  horizontal  bulwarks,  and  got  into  the  channels, 
where  they  fell  to  hacking  and  hewing  the  laniards  of  the 
shrouds  and  backstays.  A  blinding  sea  smothered  the 
unhappy  vessel;  at  the  same  moment  her  fore  and  mizzen 
topmasts  broke  short  off  under  the  topsail-yards,  and  hung 
with  all  their  complicated  hamper  down  the  lower  rigging. 
I  looked  for  the  men  who  had  severed  the  rigging,  but  only 
two  were  struggling  over  the  forward  bulwarks,  and  the 
main  chains  were  empty. 

The  ship  righted  a  trifle,  but  not  to  the  extent  she  should 
have  done,  and  I  was  now  sure  that  not  only  had  her  cargo 
shifted,  but  that  she  was  taking  in  water  fast.  It  was  a 
sight  to  sicken  the  heart  to  see  that  she  was  doomed,  to 
know  that  she  must  founder,  and  to  feel  that  no  help  could 
be  given  her.  It  is  bad  enough  to  behold  a  vessel  sinking 
under  your  guns,  even  mitigated  as  the  sin  of  destroying 
human  life  is  to  your  conscience  at  such  a  time  by  the 
intoxication  of  your  triumph.  But  to  witness  in  cold  blood 
a  noble  ship  struggling  with  a  raging  sea,  gradually  losing 
her  buoyancy  until  she  tosses  with  the  inelastic  action  of  a 
dead  body,  settling  lower  and  lower  until  she  suddenly 
vanishes,  amid  the  ear-splitting  yells  of  the  mass  of  human 
beings  congregated  on  her  decks,  is  a  spectacle  calculated 
to  give  more  anguish  to  the  beholder  than  any  other  picture 
of  human  suffering. 

Except  the  men  who  had  scrambled  into  the  chains,  no 
living  creature  had  been  visible  aboard  of  her,  in  conse- 
quence of  her  high  bulwarks  and  her  tremendous  list,  that 
probably  huddled  her  people  into  the  scuppers;  but  now 
that  she  was  indubitably  sinking,  a  sudden  rush  of  figures 
blackened  her  rail  to  windward;  they  clustered  like  flies 
along  her  side,  and,  in  spite  of  the  gloom  and  the  fog  of 
flying  spray,  the  figures  of  numerous  women  were  clearly 
distinguishable.  The  shrieks  of  the  poor  creatures  rang 
through  the  thunder  of  the  hurricane;  we  could  see  their 
frantic  gestures,  the  passionately  lifted  arms  of  the  women. 


252  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

the  mad  beckoning  of  the  men  for  the  help  that  could  not 
be  given.  Some  scrambled  aloft,  some  in  tossing  their 
hands  lost  their  balance,  and  fell  headlong  into  the  sea. 
The  wrecked  mast,  the  yards  swaying  wildly  with  every  roll 
and  harpooning  the  lee-side  and  shrouds  of  the  ship ;  the 
crowds  of  miserable  creatures  raving  and  motioning  upon 
the  bulwarks  of  the  hull  whose  staggering  movements  were 
like  the  reeling  of  a  drunken  man;  the  ceaseless  pouring  of 
the  surges  over  her  in  whole  acres  of  green  water  which 
broke  as  they  struck  her  decks,  and  were  swept  upward  by 
the  hurricane  in  clouds  of  spray,  like  the  stream  of  water 
thrown  upon  a  burning  house,  and  the  black  heavens  over- 
head, under  which  masses  of  sand-colored  scud-like  clouds 
were  driving  with  incredible  velocity,  and  the  mountainous, 
seething,  roaring  waters  like  ink  in  contrast  with  the  foam 
of  their  breaking  summits,  formed  such  a  picture  of  wild 
devastation  and  enormous  fury,  as  not  the  oldest  seaman 
among  us  could  ever  remember  hearing  or  seeing  the  like  of. 
She  had  sunk  by  this  time  as  deep  as  the  thin  white  line 
that  ran  under  the  gun -ports,  and  1  was  watching  with  a 
wildly  beating  heart  and  difficult  breath  the  blood-freezing, 
the  dismal,  the  most  dismal  spectacle  of  the  crowds  of  men 
and  women  motioning  to  us,  and  shrieking  in  their  horror 
as  they  stood,  so  to  speak,  on  the  very  brink  of  the  tre- 
mendous and  appalling  grave  of  boiling  and  roaring  waters 
that  was  opening  under  their  feet,  when  a  loud  shout  from 
Shelvocke  caused  me  to  look  to  windward,  where  I  beheld 
a  monster  sea — the  Mont  Blanc  of  the  liquid  Alps  around 
us — a  whole  league  long,  as  I  should  imagine,  stooping  its 
emerald-green  unbroken  crest  as  though  fearful  of  brushing 
the  sky,  and  rushing  at  us  at  the  sped  of  a  race-horse  in 
full  career.  The  men  had  barely  time  to  fling  themselves 
down  upon  their  breasts  under  the  weather  bulwarks  when 
the  schooner  was  on  her  beam-ends  and  running  up  the 
watery  steep.  The  sensation  was  that  of  being  shot  by  an 
irresistible  power  into  the  air — I  mean,  that  one  felt  to  be 
disconnected  altogether  from  the  schooner,  and  to  be  soaring 
alone  through  the  gale.  I  never  experienced  anything  like 
it  before  nor  since.  The  faculty  of  thinking  was  suspended ; 
one  could  only  hold  on  with  a  kind  of  dull  amaze,  and  listen 
to  the  roaring  and  feel  the  mighty  upheaval  and  the  more 


THE  STORM-FIEND.  253 

terrible  sensation  of  sinking.  At  one  moment,  namely, 
when  the  schooner  had  been  swept  to  the  summit  of  this 
prodigious  sea,  she  seemed  to  be  revolving  so  as  to  bring 
her  keel  up ;  a  plummet  dropped  from  the  port  rail  would 
have  grounded  on  the  starboard-rail ;  the  deck  was  up  and 
down  like  the  side  of  a  house;  another  instant  and  she  was 
rushing  down  into  the  black  and  howling  valley  that  was 
scooped  out  by  this  astonishing  height  of  water,  with  her 
deck  making  a  perpendicular  line  with  the  zenith  in  the 
other  direction.  It  was  incredible  that  any  fabric  made  of 
human  hands  could  have  encountered  such  a  wave  and  lived 
through  it;  yet  such  was  our  fortune,  or  such  the  buoyancy 
of  the  beautiful  vessel,  that  she  did  not  ship  so  much  as  a 
single  drop  of  water,  though  assuredly  had  the  gigantic  sea 
broken  before  it  reached  us,  we  should  have  been  over- 
whelmed, and  in  all  probability  gone  to  the  bottom  like  a 
lump  of  lead. 

I  watched  it  as  it  rushed  toward  the  ship;  I  saw  the 
sodden  helpless  hull  partially  rise,  as  though  making  one 
struggle  to  let  it  pass  under  her.  In  an  instant  she  was 
rolled  completely  over,  and  her  copper  bottom  gleamed 
amid  the  ocean  of  foam  that  broke  round  and  about  her; 
the  spray  filled  the  air;  there  was  just  a  glimpse  of  her 
dark  spars  lying  aslant  upon  the  water;  the  monstrous  sea, 
uniting  its  mountainous  green  ridge  again  where  it  had  been 
divided  by  the  hull  of  the  ship,  rolled  roaring  along  the 
sea,  and  its  gigantic  form  might  have  been  traced  for  miles. 
The  great  track  of  snow-white  foam  left  behind  was  broken 
up  by  the  hurling  surges,  which  leaped  into  it  like  a  band 
of  wolves  into  a  sheepfold.  I  thought  I  saw  the  hull  of  the 
ship  glancing  amid  the  hollows,  but  it  was  only  the  outline 
of  a  dark  wave.  The  ocean  all  that  way  was  a  blank,  and 
every  vestige  of  the  ship  and  her  freight  of  human  lives 
had  vanished. 

And  now,  as  though  this  dreadful  sacrifice  had  partially 
propitiated  the  storm-fiend,  the  heavens  in  the  direction 
whence  the  hurricane  blew  lightened  into  a  squalid  sulphur 
color,  and  the  horizon  opened,  but  there  was  no  lull  in  the 
wind ;  on  the  contrary  it  seemed  to  come  with  a  new  edge, 
a  fresh  spite.  From  time  to  time  one  of  the  windward 
vessels  would  put  her  helm  up,  and  under  a  shred  of  canvas, 


254       an  oc£an  free  lance. 

rush  like  an  affrighted  thing  from  the  tremendous  scene  of 
warring  sea  and  dark  sky,  and  vanish  upon  the  waste  of 
hurling  waters  to  leeward  in  a  fog  of  foam.  Most  of  the 
large  ships  had  suffered  terribly  ;  one  was  totally  dismasted, 
and  in  the  most  dire  peril ;  another  had  only  her  foremast 
standing;  the  line-of-battle  ship  had  lost  her  foretopmast 
and  jibbooms.  She  lay  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  astern  of 
us,  and  there  was  something  sublime  in  the  spectacle  of  her 
large  hull  soaring  and  vanishing,  glancing  through  a  storm 
of  spray  as  she  was  hove  up,  until  she  stood  nakedly  exposed 
against  the  leaden  sky,  poised  on  the  summit  of  a  sea  like 
a  ball  balanced  on  a  ringer,  and  then  sinking  until  nothing 
could  be  seen  but  her  topmasts  sloping  out  of  the  pea-green 
ridges  heaped  about  her. 

Strangely  enough,  the  little  vessels  had  proved  the  most 
weatherly ;  only  one  of  the  eight  or  nine  that  I  counted 
appeared  to  have  suffered  aloft,  and  she  could  scarcely  have 
exceeded  eighty  tons.  It  was  like  watching  a  wherry.  I 
never  should  have  believed  it  possible  that  any  vessel  could 
be  so  flung  about  and  live.  Every  time  she  vanished  I  could 
have  sworn  she  was  goue  for  good,  yet  up  she  would  come 
again  as  regularly  as  a  buoy. 

A  little  after  four  bells  in  the  afternoon  this  hurricane 
began  to  slacken  its  fury ;  the  sooty  pall  of  cloud  that  was 
stretched  like  a  carpet  across  the  whole  surface  of  the  visi- 
ble heavens  broke  up  into  large  masses  of  vapor  with  prim- 
rose-colored patches  between  them,  and  anon  narrow  spaces 
of  watery -blue  opened  and  let  down  hazy  beams  of  sunshine 
here  and  there,  which  touched  the  dark  surface  of  the  moun- 
tainous waters  with  a  troubled  yellow  brightness.  By  four 
o'clock  the  wind  had  decreased  to  a  moderate  gale,  and  a 
quantities  of  smoke-like  scud  were  sweeping  under  a  blue 
sky  marbled  with  small  prismatic  oyster-shaped  clouds, 
which  were  moving  slowly  and  bodily  away  to  the  north- 
ward, athwart  the  course  of  the  gale,  and  through  which 
the  windy  sun  was  forcing  his  ardent  beams  and  giving  a 
beautiful  green  sparkle  to  the  tumbling  seas,  and  a  flashing 
whiteness  to  their  seething  crests. 

We  hoisted  a  small  English  ensign  to  let  the  war-vessels 
know  our  nationality,  and  watched  the  line-of-battle  ship 
repairing  damages,  and  signalling  to  the  convoy  like  a  hen 


THE  STORM-FIEND.  255 

calling  around  her  the  survivors  of  her  brood  after  a  hawk 
has  been  among  them.  As  for  the  Tigress,  she  was  in  the 
same  taut  and  uninjured  condition  as  the  hurricane  had 
found  her  in;  not  a  spar  was  sprained,  not  a  rope  had 
carried  away ;  there  was  not  an  inch  of  water  in  the  well ; 
under  a  close-reefed  foresail  the  noble  little  craft  rose  and 
fell  upon  the  gradually  subsiding  seas,  as  sound  in  masts 
and  hull  as  if  she  had  just  come  out  of  clock,  with  the  decks 
whitening  in  all  directions  as  they  were  dried  by  the  sun, 
and  the  crew  busy  clearing  up,  seeing  to  the  guns,  swab- 
bing down  the  scuppers,  opening  the  hatches,  and  so  forth. 

I  stood  with  Shelvocke  watching  the  vessels  to  windward. 

"Madison,"  said  he,  "this  will,  I  fear,  prove  a  memor- 
able gale.  I  should  not  like  to  be  prevented  from  sleeping 
until  I  had  counted  in  guineas  the  value  in  ships  and  goods 
that  has  gone  to  the  bottom  this  blessed  day." 

"I  would  to  God,  captain,"  said  I,  "I  had  not  seen  that 
ship  founder.  The  yell  of  her  people  will  ring  in  my  head 
to  my  dying  day.  It  is  a  horrible  trial  to  be  obliged  to 
helplessly  watch  one's  fellow-creatures  miserably  perish." 

"It  is  so;  but  is  it  not  monstrous  that  men  who  will 
shudder  over  such  a  sight  as  we  have  witnessed  would, 
without  a  single  compunctious  visiting  of  remorse,  make 
a  holocaust  of  whole  shiploads  of  human  beings  merely 
because  the  ambition  of  one  potentate  thwarts  or  obstructs 
the  ambition  of  another  potentate?  We  are  aghast  at  an 
act  of  God ;  we  are  horrified  by  the  visitation  of  that  Being 
in  whose  mercy  we  declare  our  faith  upon  our  knees;  but 
our  own  hellish  wickedness,  our  own  unnatural,  fiendish 
cruelties  we  exult  over — we  crown — we  behymn — we  monu- 
mentalize!" 

"My  dear  sir,"  I  exclaimed,  much  astonished,  "how, 
with  these  sentiments,  can  you  have  the  heart  to  command 
a  privateer — a  vessel  licensed  by  the  authority  of  one  of 
those  potentates  you  name,  whose  ambition  covers  mankind 
with  sin,  to  destroy,  capture,  burn,  and  the  rest  of  it?" 

"  Because,  young  man,  being  born  of  woman,  I  am  incon- 
sistent, weak,  vain,  and  insincere,"  he  answered.  "Be- 
sides, I  am  a  sailor,  and  what  the  dickens  have  •/  to  do 
with  longshore  moralities?  The  turn  of  a  spoke  just  saved 
our  lives  when  that  foundered  ship  was  rushing  upon  us. 


256         AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

What  is  the  use  of  sentiment  to  men  whose  existence 
depends  upon  the  angle  described  by  a  piece  of  timber? 
When  that  great  sea  took  us,  what  premium  do  you  suppose 
an  insurance  office  would  have  charged  you  for  a  policy  on 
your  life?  Could  a  diagram  of  the  vessel  as  she  hung  on 
the  crest  of  that  Andean  wave  be  submitted  to  some  of  your 
scientific  bodies,  not  a  member  but  would  swear  that  she 
ought  to  have  been  upset,  and  that,  instead  of  taking  the 
liberty  to  discuss  the  subject,  you  and  I  should  be  making 
love  to  the  Atlantic  mermaids,  some  thousands  of  fathoms 
deep.  Men  who  go  about  with  a  halter  round  their  necks, 
which  at  any  moment  may  be  hauled  taut,  can't  be  bothered 
with  philosophy.  I  am  one  of  those  who  go  where  the 
devil  drives.  Sometimes  I  may  try  to  sneak  on  a  drag. 
Sometimes  I  may  whip  out  a  bit  of  morality  and  expose  it 
as  a  man  might  a  flag  to  show  that  he  sails  under  honorable 
colors.  But  the  devil  keeps  hold  of  the  reins  all  the  same ; 
and  it  is  in  this  fashion  that  a  large  number  of  us  are  going 
virtually  to  hell." 

A  flash,  followed  by  a  loud  report. 

"  A  gun  from  the  liner,  sir!"  I  exclaimed.  "  With  whom 
is  she  parleying  with  those  flags?" 

Presently  the  frigate  that  lay  abreast  of  us,  but  a  long 
way  off,  replied  to  the  signal.  Then  came  another  gun 
from  the  big  ship,  and  more  signals,  which  were  evidently 
addressed  to  the  merchantmen,  for  every  vessel  that  had 
masts  hoisted  the  answering  pennant.  The  import  of 
these  signals  was  speedily  shown  by  the  various  ships  mak- 
ing sail :  and  a  brave  and  handsome  show  they  made,  as  in 
twos  and  threes  they  sheeted  home  the  reefed  canvas  and 
came  rolling  and  foaming  toward  us  upon  the  swelling 
surges :  the  large  Indiamen  looking  like  men-of-war  with 
their  square  yards  and  tiers  of  ports,  and  their  lengths 
of  white  hammocks,  and  their  tall  poops  and  forecastles 
crowded  with  men,  and  the  little  craft  toppling  about  like 
toy  brigs  and  schooners,  rolling  their  gunwales  under  water 
as  they  buzzed  along,  while  the  rays  of  the  sun  which 
streamed  down  in  a  mass  of  lateral  lines,  for  all  the  world 
like  a  heavy  shower  of  molten  gold,  and  seemed  to  veer 
from  one  point  of  the  compass  to  the  other  under  the  swarm- 
ing of  the  flying  scud,  illuminated  the  various  vessels  in 


THE  STORM-FIEND.  257 

turns,  kindling  red  fires  in  their  glossy  sides,  and  veining 
their  masts  with  purple  lines,  and  flashing  up  their  decks 
like  diamonds  on  a  motioning  hand,  as  the  brass-work  and 
skylights  caught  the  rays,  and  making  a  perfect  magic- 
lantern  show  of  the  windy,  tumbling,  and  foaming  scene, 
by  the  swift  alternation  of  violent  shadows  and  yellow 
brilliance. 

The  line-of -battle  ship  set  her  main-topsail  and  foresail, 
and  advanced  toward  us  with  slow,  ponderous,  and  lordly 
movements,  as  much  as  to  say,  "  I  have  had  my  eye  upon 
you,  my  friend,  and  take  the  first  opportunity  to  have  a 
better  look  at  you."  Nor  was  her  curiosity  unreasonable; 
in  spite  of  the  small  ensign  at  her  peak  the  Tigress'  low, 
long,  powerful,  and  heavily  armed  hull,  and  piratical  sweep 
of  spars,  were  hardly  of  a  kind  to  reassure  a  commodore  in 
charge  of  a  rich  and  numerous  convoy. 

She  approached  us  within  pistol-shot,  and  was  indeed  so 
close  that  the  recoil  of  a  sea  from  her  huge  side  sent  a 
shower  of  spray  over  our  quarterdeck.  Groups  of  officers 
stood  with  glasses  levelled  at  us,  and  gazing  at  them  was  like 
standing  in  the  pit  of  a  theatre  and  looking  up  at  the  gallery. 
I  remember  noticing  her  gigantic  cutwater  as  she  ploughed 
the  green  seas,  curling  an  immense  wave  away  from  her 
with  every  plunge  of  her  heavy,  enormously  thick  bows,  and 
the  vast  spread  of  her  lower  shrouds,  terminating  in  tops  as 
big  as  the  floor  of  a  room,  and  the  little  figures  of  the  men 
who  looked  down  at  us  from  these  platforms. 

I  thought  they  would  hail  us ;  but  I  suppose  they  reckoned 
us  honest  enough,  and  shifting  her  helm  the  huge  fabric 
rolled  away  from  us,  in  the  direction  pursued  by  the  mer- 
chantmen, leaving  the  frigate  to  look  after  the  injured  ships. 

"'Tis  an  ill  wind  that  blows  nobody  any  good,"  said 
Shelvocke,  after  sweeping  the  weather  horizon  with  the 
glass.  "  Yet  this  hurricane  would  have  been  more  obliging 
had  it  blown  up  any  other  convoy  than  an  English  one. 
However,  get  a  reef  shaken  out  of  the  foresail,  Mr.  Madison, 
and  set  the  standing  and  inner  jibs.  The  course  is  west 
sou' west." 

In  half  an  hour's  time  we  were  foaming  along  on   the 
strong  swell  left  by  the  hurricane,  every  vestige  of  the  con- 
voy vanished,  a  bright  sun  shining  over  our  starboard  bow, 
17 


258  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

and  a  heaven  out  of  which  the  smoke-like  scud  had  vanished, 
leaving  instead  a  sky  of  brilliant,  small  white  cloud 
flecked  with  orange  in  the  west,  and  blue  overhead,  and 
violet  in  the  east,  as  it  arched  toward  the  sea  whose  toss- 
ing surface  seemed  to  have  been  purified  into  the  most 
lovely  and  transparent  green  by  the  hurricane  that  had  rav- 
aged it. 


CHAPTER.  XI. 

A   STRANGE   VISION. 

"  What  is  all  that  smoke  forward  there,  Mr.  Tapping?" 
I  sung  out  as  I  came  on  deck,  after  changing  my  wet  clothes. 

"It's  the  cook  bothering  with  some  damp  wood  over  the 
galley  fire,  sir.  I  suppose  you  know  the  men  haven't  had 
any  dinner?" 

"Then  that  accounts  for  the  odd  sensation  just  here," 
said  T,  laying  my  hand  on  my  waistcoat;  "that  has  been 
bewildering  me  for  the  last  two  hours.  Why,  none  of  us 
have  dined." 

"No,  sir,  and  the  men  are  like  wolves.  It's  a  sight  to 
see  them  sharpening  their  knives  on  the  soles  of  their 
boots.  I  shouldn't  like  to  be  the  cook  if  the  water  don't 
boil  soon,  sir." 

I  went  up  to  Shelvocke,  who  was  puffing  a  cigar  with  a 
thoughtful  face,  on  the  grating  abaft  the  tiller,  and  asked 
him  if  he  was  aware  that  neither  he  nor  any  of  the  rest  of 
us  had  tasted  food  since  breakfast — nine  dismal  hours  of 
abstinence? 

"Upon  my  word!"  he  exclaimed,  throwing  his  cigar 
overboard  and  jumping  up,  "  the  hurricane  must  have  been 
strong  indeed  to  blow  the  very  appetite  out  of  a  man.  Call 
the  steward,  Madison." 

The  man  came  on  deck. 

"What  is  there  to  eat,  steward?" 

"There's  cold  beef,  sir,  and  cold  'am,  and  a  piece  of 
pickled  pork " 

"No  more  words,"  interrupted  Shelvocke.  "Make  the 
best  show  you  can  with  the  cold  provender — we  can't  wait 
for  the  cook;  and  take  my  compliments  to  Mr.  Corney  and 
the  third  and  forth  mates,  and  say  I  shall  be  glad  to  see 
them  to  dinner." 


260         AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

The  steward  bustled  off,  and  presently  we  were  all  peg- 
ging away  at  the  substantial  and  plentiful  sea  fare  that 
loaded  the  table,  while  a  boatswain's  mate  stumped  the 
quarterdeck  in  charge  of  the  schooner. 

But  there  was  a  gloom  upon  some  of  us  that  the  wine, 
freely  bandied  about  as  it  was,  could  not  lighten.  I  won- 
dered at  the  depression  of  my  own  spirits  almost  remorse- 
fully, when  I  recalled  the  perils  we  had  escaped  and  glanced 
up  and  beheld  the  mild  blue  heaven  beaming  over  the  sky- 
light, and  the  golden  evening  sunshine  streaming  in  rays 
upon  the  small-arms  rack,  and  flashing  in  the  musket- 
barrels  and  cutlasses. 

"You  look  as  glum  as  a  sick  monkey,  Madison,"  ex- 
claimed Shelvocke.  "  Are  you  still  haunted  by  the  spectacle 
of  that  foundering  ship?  One  would  suppose  you  had  a 
sweetheart  aboard  of  her.  And  you,  Peacock,  have  you 
seen  a  ghost  that  you  sip  your  wine  as  solemnly  as  if  you 
were  drinking  to  the  memory  of  the  dead?" 

"There's  nothing  the  matter  with  me,  sir,"  answered 
the  handsome  young  fellow,  rousing  himself  apparently 
with  an  effort;  but  the  unusually  thoughtful  and  dejected 
expression  came  into  his  face  again  a  moment  after,  and  he 
fixed  his  large  dark  eyes  dreamily  upon  the  table. 

"  Captain,  what  state  of  mind  ought  a  man  to  be  in  after 
a  narrow  escape?"  said  Corney.  "Ought  he  to  feel  awed, 
and  wonder  that  such  a  rascal  as  he  was  thought  worthy  of 
another  chance  of  mending  his  life,  or  take  his  luck  dispas- 
sionately and  conclude  that  his  escape  merely  meant  that 
his  time  hadn't  yet  come?" 

"Why,  Mr.  Corney,  that  will  depend  upon  whether  he's 
a  Christian  or  a  Mussulman." 

"But  how  ought  a  Christian  to  feel,  captain?" 

"  My  good  sir,  do  you  suppose  that  Great  Britain  sup- 
ports four  archbishops — Armagh  counts  for  one,  don't  he, 
Madison? — four  archbishops  I  say,  and  a  whole  squadron 
of  dignitaries  from  London  to  Sodor  and  Man,  that  such  a 
question  as  yours  shall  be  answered  by  the  skipper  of  a 
privateer?  Give  me  ten  thousand  a  year  and  a  palace,  and 
I'll  engage  to  reply  to  your  inquiries." 

"  What  is  meant  by  a  narrow  escape,  I  wonder?"  observed 
Chestree. 


A  STRANGE  VISION.  261 

"When  the  toyman's  daughter  jilted  you,  that  was  a 
narrow  escape  for  you  or  Susan,"  said  I,  feeling  that  I 
ought  to  say  something.     "You  might  have  married  her." 

"Why,  that's  very  true,  Mr.  Madison,"  responded  Ches- 
tree  gravely.  "  But  was  that  a  narrow  escape  because  I 
knew  it  to  be  an  escape,  or  would  it  have  been  a  narrow 
escape  whether  I  knew  of  it  or  not  ?" 

"Good  Lord!"  cried  Tapping,  "what  do  you  mean,  sir?" 

"Pray  explain  yourself,  Chestree,"  exclaimed  Shelvocke. 

"As  your  proposition  stands,"  said  Corney,  "it  is  the 
most  unintelligible  thing  that  has  come  to  my  ears  since  my 
first  schoolmaster  asked  me  if  a  bee  was  a  fly,  would  a  blue- 
bottle make  honey." 

"Why,  really,  gentlemen,"  said  Chestree,  blushing  like 
a  girl  after  staring  at  one  and  the  other  with  his  great 
mouth  open  like  a  newly  landed  cod,  "  what  I  said  is 
extremely  sensible.  What  is  a  narrow  escape,  I  asked? 
For  instance,  here  we  are  sitting  in  this  cabin.  At  this 
very  moment  one  of  the  boys  may  have  wriggled  himself 
into  the  powder  magazine  that  is  almost  under  our  feet,  and 
be  skylarking  among  the  cartridges  with  a  lighted  candle. 
A  spark  from  the  candle  would  blow  us  into  smithereens, 
but  the  candle  is  accidentally  extinguished,  the  boy  sneaks 
away,  and  no  harm  is  done.  Is  this  a  narrow  escape, 
captain?" 

"Of  course  it  is." 

"Whether  we  know  it  or  not?" 

"  Certainly.  What  the  deuce  has  your  knowledge  of  the 
danger  got  to  do  with  the  risk  you  run?" 

"But,  good  heavens,  sir,"  pleaded  Chestree,  "at  this  rate 
every  moment  of  our  existence,  more  or  less,  involves  a 
narrow  escape.  I  am  sent  aloft;  in  my  hurry  I  skip  a  rat- 
line; had  I  footed  that  ratline,  I  should  have  tumbled  over- 
board. But  I  got  up  and  I  come  down  safe,  and  I  knew 
nothing  of  the  risk  I  have  run.  Do  you  mean  to  call  that 
a  narrow  escape?" 

"  If  by  taking  that  ratline  you  would  have  been  thrown 
overboard,  your  skipping  it  would  assuredly  be  a  narrow 
escape." 

"Whether  I  knew  it  or  not?" 

"Certainly,"  said  Tapping. 


262         AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

Chestree  drew  a  deep  breath. 

"  It's  no  use,  gentlemen ;  I  see  you  don't  understand  me." 

"You  don't  understand  yourself,"  said  Corney,  wonder- 
ing at  the  blockhead. 

"You'll  excuse  me,  Mr.  Corney,"  replied  Chestree,  with 
a  wandering  eye,  "  but  I  hope  you  don't  think,  because  I 
am  not  able  to  amputate  a  man's  leg,  that  I'm  an  ass,  sir? 

"  And  I  hope  you  don't  imagine,  because  I  can  amputate 
a  man's  leg,  that  I'm  unable  to  tell  when  a  man  talks  non- 
sense, sir?"  said  Corney. 

Shelvocke  gave  me  a  faint  wink,  and  glanced  at  Peacock. 
I  imagined  that  he  was  willing  to  encourage  a  quarrel 
between  Corney  and  Chestree  merely  that  it  might  awaken 
Peacock  out  of  his  melancholy.  At  least  I  knew  the  real, 
if  furtive,  interest  he  took  in  the  lad,  and  his  glance  at  him 
exactly  conveyed  the  impression  I  have  written. 

"'Nonsense'  is  rather  a  strong  term  to  apply  to  man's 
opinion,  Mr.  Corney,"  said  I. 

"What  other  word,"  replied  Corney  warmly,  "will 
describe  the  reasoning  of  a  person  who  says,  in  effect, 
When  I  pulled  off  my  coat  before  going  to  bed,  I  found  that 
somebody  had  chalked  'Fool'  upon  it;  but  so  far  as  I  was 
concerned,  no  such  word  was  on  my  back  until  I  pulled  off 
my  coat  and  read  the  word,  because  I  didn't  know  it  was 
there?" 

"I  think  he  has  you  there,  Chestree,"  said  Shelvocke. 
"That's  a  strong  argument  against  Chestree,  don't  you 
think,  Madison?" 

"Strong  for  its  impertinence,  sir;  but  as  a  piece  of 
reasoning  not  worth  that!"  shouted  Chestree,  with  a  loud 
snap  of  his  fingers. 

"Oh,  pray  don't  talk  of  impertinence,  Mr.  Chestree!" 
exclaimed  Corney,  rather  hysterically,  and  cocking  his  nose 
in  the  air,  with  the  nostrils  working  like  a  pair  of  bellows. 
"The  man  who  sneers  at  a  gentleman's  profession  isn't  the 
right  kind  of  individual  to  speak  of  impertinence.  Imper- 
tinence!" he  continued,  warming  up,  with  Chestree's 
reference  to  the  amputation  of  legs  evidently  rankling; 
"why  don't  Mr.  Chestree  refute  me,  captain?  My  idea  of 
the  word  'fool' " 

"  Your  idea  of  the  word  'fool'!     My  idea  of   the  word 


A  STRANGE  VISION.  263 

'fool,'  you  mean,  sir!"  shouted  Chestree.  "Ask  me  for  a 
definition  of  that  word,  my  young  friend,  and  no  living  artist 
shall. give  you  a  neater  portrait  of  yourself  than  I  will." 

"Gentlemen,  gentlemen!"  interposed  Shelvocke;  "not 
so  personal,  please." 

"Captain  Shelvocke!"  exclaimed  Corney,  "I  desire,  sir, 
to  take  this  opportunity,  in  the  presence  of  the  commander 
and  officers  of  this  schooner,  of  stating  that  in  my  opinion 
Mr.  Chestree  is  a  man  of  no  origin." 

"  Here's  a  pretty  surgeon !  here's  a  fine  cutter  and  carver, 
gentlemen !"  burst  out  the  literal  Chestree,  with  a  deafen- 
ing neigh  that  was  meant  for  a  laugh,  "  not  to  know  that 
every  human  being  born  into  this  world  must  have  an  origin ! 
No  origin!  Ha!  ha!  And  yet  I  dare  say  the  fellow  thinks 
himself  qualified  to  argue  on  anatomy!" 

There  was  no  standing  this  acceptation  of  Corney' s 
affront;  the  high  convulsed  features,  the  dancing  eyes,  the 
broad  open  mouth  of  the  second  mate,  and  the  purple  coun- 
tenance and  quivering  nose  of  the  surgeon,  were  too  much 
for  our  gravity.  Shelvocke,  Tapping,  and  I  burst  into  a 
roar  of  laughter,  which  Chestree  joined  in  to  his  heart's 
content,  evidently  imagining  the  joke  to  be  on  his  side. 

"  Gentlemen, "  said  Shelvocke,  "  we  have  had  enough  of 
this  discussion.  Now  that  you  are  evidently  both  of  one 
opinion,  you  will  oblige  me  by  drinking  each  other's  health. 
Mr.  Tapping,  fill  Chestree's  glass.  Corney,  the  decanter 
is  at  your  elbow." 

The  apparent  good-humor  of  this  request  did  not  make 
the  tone  in  which  it  was  delivered  less  imperative ;  but  the 
look  that  the  two  men  gave  each  other  as  they  grasped  their 
glasses,  as  if  they  intended  to  fling  them  at  one  another's 
heads,  started  me  off  again. 

Presently  Chestree  left  the  table  to  attend  to  his  duty  on 
deck,  and  was  followed  by  Peacock.  The  young  fellow  had 
not  spoken  half  a  dozen  words  during  the  whole  time  we 
were  at  dinner. 

"What's  the  matter  with  the  boy,  Madison? — do  you 
know?"  asked  Shelvocke.     "Is  he  ill?" 

"I  don't  think  so,  sir.  A  little  capsized,  perhaps,  by 
the  sight  of  the  sinking  ship,  as  I  am — or  was,  I  ought  per- 
haps to  say." 


264  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

"That  is  it,  no  doubt,"  remarked  Corney;  "and  an 
awful  thing  it  was  to  see.  I  suppose  if  Chestree  had  been 
asleep  when  she  foundered,  he  would  swear  it  couldn't  have 
happened  because  he  knew  nothing  of  it." 

"Oh,  pray  don't  get  upon  that  subject  again,  Mr. 
Corney,"  said  Shelvocke.  "Do  you  know,  Madison,  I 
think  I  have  made  a  mistake  in  coming  so  far  south." 

"  Why,  sir,  I  always  thought  the  contraband  Guineamen 
would  give  us  more  trouble  than  they're  worth,  should  we 
succeed  in  capturing  one  or  two  of  them,"  I  answered. 
"  But  we  are  heading  now  for  the  Yankee  tracks,  I  take  it, 
and  I  think  the  helm  has  been  wisely  shifted." 

"The  sea  has  dropped  miraculously,  considering  the 
frightful  severit}T  of  the  hurricane.  Mr.  Chestree!"  he 
shouted,  sending  his  voice  through  the  open  skylight,  "  how 
looks  the  weather?" 

"Very  fine  indeed,  sir,  and  clear  as  glass  in  the  north. 
The  breeze  has  shifted  three  points  since  I  have  been  on 
deck,  and  I  reckon  it  will  be  failing  us  altogether  at  sun- 
down . " 

"Likely  enough,"  said  Shelvocke,  emptying  his  glass, 
and  glancing  at  the  tell-tale  compass  that  swung  over  his 
head. 

We  had  more  wine  and  sat  chatting  a  while,  and  then 
Shelvocke  got  up  and  went  on  deck,  and  I  repaired  to  my 
cabin,  where  I  lay  thinking  over  the  hurricane,  and  the 
sinking  ship,  and  Corney' s  and  Chestree's  quarrel,  and 
Miss  Palmer  and  Lady  Tempest's  ball,  and  many  other 
such  matters,  until  I  fell  asleep ;  but  was  awakened  by  the 
excessive  heat,  that  bathed  me  in  perspiration  and  made 
the  berth  like  a  forcing  glass-house  in  the  dog-days. 

It  was  more  than  I  could  stand,  so  I  filled  my  pipe  and 
went  on  deck. 

The  sun  had  set,  and  though  there  was  a  rich  red  flush 
in  the  west,  the  night — as  it  does  in  these  latitudes — had 
gathered  a  few  minutes  after  the  luminary  had  vanished, 
and  the  effect  of  this  blood-red  space  upon  the  darkly  pure 
heavens  in  which  the  large  yellow  stars  were  shining  like 
little  moons,  was  extremely  beautiful  and  strange.  There 
was  a  faint  breeze  blowing  from  the  south,  scarcely  enough 
to  steady  the  sails,  and  a  swell  that  would  have  kept  the 


A  STRANGE  VISION.  265 

schooner  rolling  uncomfortably  enough  but  for  the  unusually 
long  intervals  between  the  watery  heavings. 

The  first  person  I  noticed  on  arriving  on  deck  was  young 
Peacock,  who  stood  upon  one  of  the  guns,  leaning  over  the 
bulwarks,  and  looking  into  the  black  water  alongside.  He 
was  so  utterly  lost  in  thought  that  though  I  remained  at  his 
side  for  some  moments  he  had  no  knowledge  of  my  presence, 
and  when  I  addressed  him  he  started  so  violently  that  the 
light  straw  hat  he  wore  fell  from  his  head  into  the  sea. 

Trivial  as  this  incident  was,  I  cannot  express  the  effect 
it  produced  on  me. 

"It's  gone  for  good,"  said  I,  watching  the  pale  circum- 
ference glide  astern,  "and  you'll  never  wear  that  hat  again 
this  side  of  the  promised  land.  What  caused  you  to  jump 
so  wildly?" 

"Your  voice  startled  me,  sir." 

"  Go  fetch  another  covering,"  said  I;  "the  dew  falls  like 
rain." 

He  went  below,  and  presently  returned,  and  stationed 
himself  alongside  the  gun  on  which  he  had  been  standing. 

"Aren't  you  well,  Peacock?" 

"Quite  well,  sir,"  he  replied,  a  little  irritably;  "what 
makes  you  think  I  am  not  well,  Mr.  Madison?" 

"  Because  you  are  so  extremely  glum,  my  boy.  Nothing 
has  annoyed  you,  I  hope,"  said  I,  thinking  of  Shelvocke's 
story  about  him,  and  wondering  whether  Chestree  or  Tap- 
ping had  said  anything  to  pain  him. 

"  No,  sir.  A  fellow  cannot  always  control  his  feelings. 
I  have  felt  dull— I  shall  wake  up  presently." 

"What  should  make  a  lad  like  you  dull?"  I  exclaimed, 
rather  disposed  to  think  him  sentimental — a  weakness  that 
is  bad  enough  in  men,  but  odious  and  disgusting  in  boys. 
"You're  nineteen  years  old,  I  think  you  said;  and  any 
man  who  can  be  dull  at  that  age  must  be  cracked — nothing 
but  a  list  in  his  brains  ought  to  excuse  him.  What  were 
you  looking  for  in  the  water  alongside  just  now?" 

He  made  no  answer.  I  could  not  very  clearly  distinguish 
his  features  in  the  starlight;  but  I  did  see,  and  was 
astonished  to  behold,  his  large  dark  eyes  glittering  with 
tears,  as  he  raised  them  toward  the  sky,  and  stood  in  that 
posture  for  some  time  quite  motionless,  breathing  quickly. 


266  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

"What  ails  ye,  Peacock? — tell  me,  my  boy,"  said  I, 
softening  my  voice  and  addressing  him  very  earnestly. 

He  suddenly  threw  his  arm  along  the  fife-rail,  and  buried 
his  face  in  it  and  sobbed  like  a  girl,  yet  very  quietly ;  indeed 
so  gently,  that  had  I  stepped  back  a  pace  I  had  not  heard 
him. 

"A  touch  of  hysteria — highly  delicate  organization — 
deplorable  sensibility!  Poor  boy!  quite  unfit,  as  I  have 
always  felt,  for  a  rough  sea-life,"  thought  I,  watching  him 
and  waiting  until  his  emotion  was  spent  before  I  addressed 
him  again. 

Presently  he  looked  up,  and  said,  "  You  see  how  it  is, 
sir;  I  cannot  control  these  moods  of  mine." 

"Go  and  ask  the  steward  for  a  rummer  of  cold  grog," 
said  I.  "Nothing  like  a  glass  of  grog  to  haul  taut  one's 
nerve-strings." 

"  No,  thank  you,  sir.  Give  me  a  little  time  and  I  shall 
be  all  right." 

However,  what  with  the  curiosity  my  knowledge  of  his 
story  had  aroused  in  me,  and-  the  interest  he  had  all  along 
excited,  I  was  not  in  the  temper  to  let  him  go  without  a 
little  further  probing. 

"Look  here,  Peacock,"  said  I,  "why  the  deuce  won't 
you  answer  a  plain  question?  No  man  sheds  tears  without 
a  reason.  If  it's  on  the  nerves,  let  him  get  the  head-pump 
rigged  and  stand  under  it  until  he's  better;  if  it's  in  the 
mind,  let  him  unburden  himself.  What's  the  matter 
with  you?" 

He  folded  his  arms  and  tapped  on  the  deck  with  his  little 
foot. 

"What  would  be  the  good,"  said  he,  in  a  low  voice,  of 
my  telling  you,  Mr.  Madison?     You  will  only  laugh  at  me." 

"Not  I,  man." 

"I  know  you  ridicule  everything  superstitious,  sir." 

"  How  do  you  know  that,  my  friend?" 

"  Mr.  Madison,  I  will  tell  you  the  truth  if  you  promise 
me  to  keep  it  secret." 

"  Of  course  it  has  no  relation  to  what  you  would  very  well 
know  to  be  my  duty  as  chief  officer?" 

"Oh  dear  no,  sir." 

"Then,  on  my  honor,  I  will  keep  your  secret.''* 


A  STRANGE  VISION.  267 

He  pulled  oft'  the  cloth  cap  he  had  substituted  for  the 
headgear  that  had  gone  astern,  and  wiped  his  forehead; 
but  instead  of  replacing  it,  he  held  it  in  his  hand — and 
there  can  be  no  doubt  that  he  did  this  expressly,  as  though 
his  story  were  too  solemn  for  him  to  relate  with  his  head 
covered.  The  starlight  was  in  his  eyes  as  he  fixed  them 
upon  me,  and  he  spoke  in  a  voice  scarcely  raised  above  a 
whisper,  sometimes  catching  his  breath  hurriedly  like  a 
person  in  pain. 

"It  was  in  the  morning-watch,  sir;  half  an  hour  after  I 
had  come  on  deck  this  morning.  It  was  very  thick  all 
around,  and  black  as  pitch.  The  men  had  stowed  them- 
selves away  under  the  boats,  and  forward  the  decks  looked 
deserted.  Mr.  Chestree,  who  was  right  aft,  told  me  to 
bring  him  a  draught  of  water  from  the  scuttle-butt.  It 
was  so  dark  all  about  the  foremast  that  I  had  to  walk  slowly 
and  pick  my  way  for  fear  of  treading  upon  the  men ;  and 
when  I  reached  the  scuttle-butt — the  one  just  before  the 
galley,  sir — I  stood  groping  about  for  the  dipper.  I  was 
feeling  with  my  foot  for  it,  as  I  fancied  that  it  might  have 
capsized  off  the  scuttle-butt,  when  a  pale,  faint,  yellowish 
light  was  thrown  suddenly  upon  the  deck;  and  close  up 
against  the  foremast  I  saw  a  wavering  yellow  outline  that 
grew  quickly  into  the  likeness  of  a  woman,  with  hair  all 
over  her  shoulders,  of  the  color  of  the  light,  and  large  black 
eyes :  and  her  hands  were  clasped  like  those  of  a  person's 
beseeching  you,  but  all  below  her  waist  flowed  away  in  a 
sort  of  trembling  yellow  mist  that  faded  into  the  darkness 
when  it  was  within  a  foot  of  the  deck.  As  soon  as  ever  the 
phantom  became  distinct,  it  unlocked  its  hands  and  made 
the  sign  of  the  cross  with  the  first  finger  of  its  right  hand, 
and  then  pointed  upward ;  and  though  no  sound  came  from 
it,  yet  I  could  see  by  the  movement  of  its  lips  that  it  pro- 
nounced the  word  Philip.  It  faded  away,  with  its  finger 
pointing  toward  the  sky ;  and  I  stooped  and  picked  up  the 
dipper  that  I  had  noticed  when  the  light  first  broke,  and 
filled  it  and  carried  it  aft  to  Mr.  Chestree. " 

At  this  point  he  was  seized  with  a  violent  trembling,  and 
I  could  judge  the  extent  of  the  fit  by  the  shaking  of  his 
hand  as  he  raised  his  cap  and  placed  it  on  his  head. 

I  was  never  a  superstitious  man,  although  one  of  a  class 


268  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

who,  as  a  body,  are  reckoned  so;  but  though  I  did  not  in 
the  least  believe  that  any  such  spectre  as  Peacock  painted 
had  appeard  to  him,  yet  what  with  gleaming  eyes  and  the 
darkness,  and  the  moan  and  wash  of  the  water  alongside, 
and  the  solemn  shining  of  the  stars,  added  to  the  story 
itself,  and  the  horror  that  possessed  the  youth  in  relating 
it,  and  his  difficult  breathing  and  the  quivering  of  his  body, 
I  do  admit  that  I  was  stirred  and  affected  to  a  degree  I 
could  scarcely  have  believed  possible  in  a  mind  so  healthily 
fixed  and  (in  spite  of  Shelvocke's  good-natured  ridicule)  so 
purely  prosaical  at  bottom  as  mine. 

"Did  you  tell  Chestree  what  you  had  seen?"  I  asked. 

"  Oh  no,  sir.  I  have  mentioned  it  to  no  one  but  your- 
self." 

"Was  it  a  dream,  do  you  think?  dreams  are  sometimes 
so  life-like,  and  so  muddle  one's  waking  experiences,  that  I 
have  often  asked  myself  whether  such  and  such  a  thing 
really  happened,  or  whether  I  had  dreamed  it." 

"  No,  no,  it  was  not  a  dream,  Mr.  Madison,"  he  answered, 
shaking  his  head  slowly,  but  with  deliberate  decision.  "I 
saw  the  dipper  by  the  light  the  figure  threw,  so  that  I 
knew  exactly  where  to  put  my  hand  upon  it  when  the  light 
faded." 

"  Was  the  woman's  face  known  to  you?" 

"No,  sir;  I  had  never  seen  the  face  before." 

"And  pray,  Peacock,"  said  I,  knocking  the  ashes  out  of 
my  pipe  with  a  sharp  rap,  and  feeling  a  little  irritated  by 
the  involuntary  sympathetic  interest  I  had  taken  in  this  bit 
of  ghostly  nonsense,  "  why  should  this  spectre  give  you  any 
disturbance?  what  do  you  want  to  pretend  that  a  thing  of 
this  kind  signifies?" 

He  made  no  answer. 

"  See  here,  Peacock ;  suppose,  after  worrying  yourself 
over  this  matter  until  you  felt  inclined  to  hang  yourself, 
you  should  find  out  that,  at  the  very  moment  you  spied 
your  vision,  a  seaman  had  lighted  a  candle  for  one  of  the 
lanterns  at  some  point  of  the  deck  from  which  the  flame 
would  fling  such  a  light  as  you  saw ;  and  suppose  you  could 
satisfy  yourself  that— the  cause  of  the  light  given— all  the 
rest  of  the  phenomena  of  yellow  hair  and  flame-colored 
cheeks,  and  black  eyes  and  moving  hands,  was  caused  by 


A  STRANGE  VISION.  260 

your  startled  and  morbid  imagination  working  upon  a  coil 
of  rope,  a  couple  of  belaying  pins,  a  background  of  bright 
mist,  and  a  few  twisting  shadows;  wouldn't  you  laugh  at 
yourself  for  a  donkey  in  allowing  an  illusion  scarcely  alarm- 
ing enough  to  frighten  a  female  cook,  to  depress  and  agitate 
you?" 

He  said  he  would  be  glad  enough  to  find  out  that  the 
thing  he  had  seen  had  been  caused  in  the  way  I  suggested; 
and  perhaps  it  might  be  as  I  supposed,  too;  any  way  he 
had  told  me  the  truth  so  far  as  he  was  concerned,  and  begged 
me  to  remember  my  promise  not  to  repeat  his  story. 

"Certainly,  you  may  trust  me,"  I  replied.  "And  now, 
my  lad,  don't  go  hanging  over  this  matter  as  though  it 
were  a  thing  of  consequence.  Treat  it  as  a  mere  waking- 
dream;  one  of  those  visions  which  come  before  a  man  with 
his  eyes  open.  We're  all  of  us  dreaming,  day  and  night; 
and  for  my  part,  if  I  had  my  choice  of  dreams,  I  would  ask 
to  see  handsome  women  with  yellow  hair  and  black  eyes — 
a  lovely  combination,  Peacock:  that  is  if  the  skin  be  fair — 
not  sallow  like  most  of  the  foreign  fair-haired  women,  as 
though  a  brunette  should  dye  her  hair  golden — but  whose 
native  complexion  is  always  stamped  on  the  back  of  her 
neck,  you  know." 

"  Yes,  sir,  1  know,"  he  answered,  laughing  a  little,  though 
I  don't  suppose  he  did  know;  but  I  was  glad  to  hear  the 
laugh,  and  nattered  myself  my  arguments  had  done  him 
good. 

At  this  moment  eight  bells  were  struck,  and  the  watch 
below  called.  I  went  aft  to  take  Chestree's  place,  and 
Peacock  left  the  deck. 

"Chestree,"  said  I,  as  he  was  shambling  rather  sullenly 
toward  the  companion;  his  quarrel  with  Corney  was  not 
forgotten. 

He  stopped,  and  I  drew  near  him. 

"  Will  your  memory  carry  you  so  far  back  as  half-past 
four  o'clock  this  morning?"  said  I. 

He  tipped  his  hat  over  his  eyebrows  to  scratch  the  back 
of  his  head,  and  looked  at  me  as  if  he  thought  I  was  going 
to  quiz  him. 

"  What  now,  sir?  My  memory's  good  for  a  few  hours, 
I  hope." 


270         AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

"  Shortly  after  you  relieved  me  at  four  o'clock,  you  sent 
young  Peacock  to  get  you  a  drink  of  water?" 

"Ay,  that's  right,"  he  replied,  staring  at  me  with  sur- 
prise, and  his  arms  hanging  alongside  of  him  like  a  recruit 
being  drilled. 

"  Did  you  see  anything  in  the  shape  of  a  light  betwixt 
the  galley  and  the  foremast  during  the  time  the  youngster 
was  forward?" 

"  A  light?"  he  exclaimed.  "  What,  do  you  mean  a 
lantern-light?" 

"Yes." 

"  Such  a  light,  for  instance,  as  a  candle  would  throw,  sir?" 

"Yes,  Chestree." 

"No,  sir,  I  didn't." 

"  When  Peacock  brought  you  the  water  did  he  seem  at 
all  upset?" 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  upset,  Mr.  Madison?" 

"What's  the  matter  with  you  to-night,  man?  I  ask, 
was  there  anything  peculiar  with  Peacock — anything  odd — 
anything  to  strike  you  as  unusual  in  the  lad's  manner  when 
he  came  aft  with  the  water?" 

"No,  sir." 

"I'm  a  fool  to  ask  these  questions,"  thought  I;  "Ches- 
tree's  an  honest  man,  but  a  complete  blockhead,"  and  I  was 
turning  away,  when,  after  screwing  his  head  round  to  make 
sure  that  Shelvocke  was  out  of  hearing,  Chestree  said  : 

"  Pray,  Mr.  Madison,  have  you  any  notion  of  what  Corney 
meant  by  saying  that  I  was  a  man  of  no  origin?" 

"  It  was  only  like  hinting  that  your  forefathers  were  not 
all  of  them  probably  members  of  the  aristocracy." 

"  I  have  been  pondering  over  that  observation,  sir,  and 
although  it  is  no  doubt  as  stupid  a  thing  as  could  be  said 
of  a  human  being,  yet  there's  sometimes  a  great  deal  of 
malice  even  in  stupidity,  and  I  should  like  you  to  tell  me, 
Mr.  Madison,  whether  you  think  I  ought  to  accept  that 
remark  from  Mr.  Corney  as  a  reflection  on  my  mother?" 

"No,  the  man  never  thought  of  your  mother.  If  any 
member  of  your  circle  was  in  his  mind  at  all  it  would  be 
your  grandfather.  A  man  without  an  origin — in  England — 
is  a  person  who  can  only  hope,  without  being  able  to  prove, 
that  his  father  was  born  before  him." 


A  STRANGE  VISION.  271 

"Then  you  think,  sir,  there  is  nothing  in  Corney's 
remark  that  I  should  be  justified  in  accepting  as  a  reflection 
on  ray  mother?"  he  inquired,  with  much  anxiety  expressed 
in  his  voice  and  posture. 

"Nothing  whatever." 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  hear  you  say  so,"  said  he,  and  swung 
himself  with  some  briskness  through  the  companion. 

Although  I  readily  admit  that  old  ruins,  and  churchyards, 
and  desolate  moors,  and  such  places,  are  fine  nurseries  for 
human  superstitions — shall  I  ever  forget  how  the  sight  of  a 
tall  white  goat  browsing  one  evening  on  the  green  hillocks 
of  an  old  churchyard  made  the  sweat  pour  down  my  face, 
and  started  my  heels  as  if  the  grapnel  of  a  balloon  had  got 
foul  of  the  hair  of  my  head? — yet,  if  I  wanted  to  enjoy 
what  old  midwives  call  the  "  creeps  and  crawls"  to  perfec- 
tion, I  would  choose  for  the  liberation  of  my  fancies  a  quiet 
night  at  sea,  with  a  reddish  half -moon  in  the  sky,  and  a 
slow,  dark  swell  that  is  felt  but  not  seen,  as  it  rolls  out  of 
the  mystical  distances  where  heaven  and  ocean  are  mingled 
into  one  deep  shadow,  and  when  the  illusion  of  the  deep 
as  a  concavity  in  correspondence  with  the  sky  that  arches 
overhead  is  rendered  more  impressive  by  the  clear  and 
uubroken  sparkling  of  the  stars  in  the  water. 

I  was  in  the  midst  of  just  such  a  scene  as  I  walked  quietly 
to  and  fro  the  deck  of  the  Tigress,  thinking  over  young 
Peacock's  story;  and  could  I  only  have  brought  my  mind  to 
admit  the  possibility  of  such  a  spectre  as  the  boy  had 
declared  he  looked  on,  the  gentle  sighing  of  the  light  breeze 
aloft,  the  sobbing  of  the  water  under  the  counter,  the  soft 
flapping  of  canvas  like  the  rustling  and  rushing  of  invisible 
wings  overhead,  the  silent  deck,  and  the  flitting  figures  of 
the  lookout  men  in  the  bows,  whose  shapes  were  only  deter- 
minable by  the  stars  which  they  blotted  out,  would  have 
supplied  my  fancies  with  a  more  thrilling  spirit  than  ever 
the  ghostly  windmill,  the  rustling  brake,  the  moonbeams 
shining  through  the  embrasure  of  a  ruin,  or  the  shadow  of 
a  wind-tossed  yew  upon  a  gravestone,  furnished  to  the  im- 
agination of  a  belated  ploughman. 

"  What  a  contrast  with  the  scene  of  this  morning, 
Madison!"  exclaimed  Shelvocke,  coming  up  to  me  as  I  stood 
watching   a  white,  gauze-like  film  creeping  off  the  moon, 


272         AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 


and  noticing  how  the  stars  in  the  immediate  neighborhood 
of  the  pearly  planet  waned  and  died  in  the  silvery  blue  as 
she  brightened. 

"Ay,  sir,  to  look  around  upon  this  quiet  night-scene 
makes  the  recollection  of  the  foundered  ship  appear  like  a 
freak  of  the  fancy.  There  is  very  little  air  abroad,  to  judge 
by  the  passage  of  that  bit  of  haze  across  the  moon." 

"  I  am  prepared  for  a  calm.  I  am  prepared  for  a  long 
spell  of  inactivity.  At  least,  I  couldn't  feel  more  despon- 
dent if  I  knew  for  certain  that  no  luck  was  to  befall  us  for 
the  next  six  months.  I  exceedingly  regret  the  southing  we 
have  made.  We  really  had  no  business  down  here,  at  least 
on  this  side.  How  do  the  spirits  of  the  men  appear  to 
you?" 

"They  seem  lively  enough,  sir." 

"  I  fancy  this  enforced  idleness  is  telling  upon  the  officers, 
though.  If  it  had  not  been  for  Corney  and  Chestree  at 
dinner,  there  would  not  have  been  a  laugh  heard  aft  to-day." 

"  I  suppose  the  strongest-minded  persons  have  their 
superstitious  depressions  at  times,  sir,"  said  I,  my  previous 
thoughts  taking  my  words  that  way. 

"Superstitious  depressions!"  he  exclaimed.  "Who's 
superstitious?     Not  you,  surely?" 

"Oh,  not  in  the  least,  sir.  But  don't  you  think  despon- 
dency is  always  more  or  less  superstitious?" 

"  I  can't  say  I  do.  If  I  fret  over  the  days  passing  with- 
out running  us  alongside  a  prize,  I'm  not  superstitious, 
am  I?"  said  he,  chipping  away  with  flint  and  steel  for  a 
light  for  his  cigar. 

"Do  you  believe  in  ghosts,  captain?" 

I  expected  a  laugh  for  an  answer,  instead  of  which  he 
lighted  his  cigar,  stowed  the  box  away  in  his  pocket,  and 
after  a  considerable  pause  said : 

"  You  put  the  question  so  seriously,  that  '111  give  you  a 
serious  answer — I  do  believe  in  ghosts.  Not  in  hobgoblins; 
not  in  your  saucer-eyed,  long-tailed  figments.  But  I  do 
most  firmly  believe  that  the  spirits  of  the  dead  revisit  these 
cold  glimpses  of  the  moon,  and  that  many  persons  have 
beheld  such  apparitions.  Strange  that  you  should  have  hit 
upon  the  subject,  Madison.  It's  a  strong  faith  in  me,  and 
has  been  with  me  as  long  as  I  can  remember;  though,"  said 


A  STRANGE  VISION.  273 

he,  grasping  his  beard  and  slowly  passing  his  hand  down 
it,  "  no  one  would  suspect  a  big  barbed  fellow  like  me,  who 
has  been  to  sea  all  his  life,  and  knocked  about  in  the  rudest 
and  most  unsentimental  calling  known  to  mortals,  guilty  of 
such  a  weakness." 

"  Your  confession  certainly  surprises  me,  sir.  I  do  not 
believe  in  apparitions,  but  1  really  don't  know  why  they 
shouldn't  be  believed  in." 

"There  are  two  reasons  for  my  belief,"  said  he,  seating 
himself  with  an  air  as  though  he  relished  the  conversation. 
"  First  of  all,  from  the  very  earliest  times — so  far  as  my 
reading  goes — all  through  scriptural,  pagan,  modern  history, 
down  to  the  present  hour,  the  idea  that  ghosts — incorporeal 
essences  as  the  dictionaries  describe  them — have  appeared 
to  living  beings,  and  that  such  existences  are  real  has  been 
deeply  rooted ;  the  one  article  of  faith  in  which  the  votaries 
of  all  sorts  of  creeds  are  agreed.  There  is  hardly  a  country 
you  can  visit  but  that  you  will  find  this  belief  a  settled  con- 
viction. What  stronger  testimony  would  you  have?  I 
would  to  heaven  there  were  the  same  concurrence  of  faith 
in  deeper  matters  which  puzzle  me  in  the  religion  I  belong 
to!  But  I  have  another  and  surely  a  very  conclusive  reason 
for  my  belief." 

"And  what  may  that  be,  sir?"  said  I,  observing  him 
pause. 

By  the  moonlight,  that  was  now  exceedingly  clear  and 
bright,  I  saw  him  looking  at  me  intently.  He  removed  his 
cigar  from  his  mouth,  and  said  in  a  low,  grave,  and  steady 
voice : 

"  Credit  my  words  or  not,  as  you  please,  Madison :  I  have 
beheld  a  spirit  with  my  own  eyes." 

"  You,  sir!"  I  shouted,  and  I  was  rather  thankful  that  I 
was  too  much  astonished  to  laugh. 

"  Yes,  I,  my  friend.  I  have  seen  a  spirit  when  my  mind 
was  as  calm  and  collected  as  yours  is  now,  when  my  pulse 
was  as  temperate  and  steady  as  health  could  make  it,  when 
my  brain  had  been  tautened  and  set  up  by  the  luff-tackles 
of  a  long  and  refreshing  sleep,  so  that  neither  wine,  nor  a 
late  supper,  nor  any  of  the  rest  of  the  unpoetical  causes  to 
which  the  sceptics  assign  the  creation  of  ghosts,  could  have 
been  at  the  bottom  of  the  tremendous  visitation." 
18 


274  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

"  Why,  captain, "  said  I,  impressed  by  the  subdued  energy 
of  his  manner,  "  if  you  tell  me  that  you  are  serious,  I  will 
most  dutifully  believe  that  you  have  seen  a  ghost,  although 
any  other  man's  most  solemn  assurance  on  such  a  subject 
would  only  set  me  laughing;  for  if  I  know  you  at  all,  you 
are  certainly  not  a  person  to  be  duped  by  your  own  imagina- 
tion into  a  conviction  so  opposed  to  common  sense." 

"  I  am  speaking  the  sober  truth,  Madison.  That  I  have 
seen  a  spirit  I  do  most  solemnly  declare." 

"  You  amaze  me,  captain.  May  I  ask  what  shape  the 
spirit  appeared  in?" 

He  swung  his  leg  and  looked  down.  I  was  not  sure  that 
he  heard  me.  He  had  forgotten  his  cigar,  and  his  posture 
was  one  of  deep  self-engrossment.  I  never  regretted  any- 
thing more  in  my  life  than  the  promise  I  had  made  Peacock 
not  to  repeat  his  story ;  as  I  should  have  amazingly  liked 
to  have  Shelvocke's  judgment  on  the  lad's  statement,  the 
more  especially  as  he  himself  was  a  believer  in  spirits,  and 
took  besides  a  strong  interest  in  the  boy. 

"  Who  was  it  that  described  a  ghost  as  something  of  a 
shadowy  being,  captain?"  said  I.  "I  suppose  that  is  as 
exact  a  definition  as  could  be  ventured.  But  how  can  a 
shadow  have  a  sex? — and  yet  you  hear  of  male  and  female 
spectres." 

"Oh,  I  can't  follow  you  into  the  physiology  of  ghosts," 
he  rejoined,  pulling  out  his  tinder-box  again  and  hammer- 
ing at  it  as  though  he  kept  time  to  a  tune.  "  And  now,  let 
me  ask  how  happens  it  that  so  poetical  a  mind  as  yours 
should  not  believe  in  the  apparition  of  the  dead?  Know 
you  not  those  magnificent  lines  : 

"'To-morrow,  and  to-morrow,  and  to-morrow, 
Creeps  in  this  petty  pace  from  day  to  day, 
To  the  last  syllable  of  recorded  time  : 
And  all  our  yesterdays  have  lighted  fools 
The  way  to  dusty  death.' 

What  are  our  yesterdays  but  tombs?— yet  will  you  tell  me 
that  out  of  those  tombs  the  dead  do  not  steal  to  stare  you  in 
the  face,  taking  such  form  and  substance,  gazing  at  you 
with  looks  so  full  of  pity  or  scorn  or  sorrow  or  reproach, 
that  the  fleshly  eye  beholds  nothing  completer  in  skin  and 


A  STRANGE  VISION.  275 

bone?  Suppose  that  the  vessel  in  which  Miss  Palmer  sailed 
from  Cawsand  Bay  had  foundered,  and  all  aboard  of  her 
perished,  a  few  hours  after  she  had  left  the  Sound — the  girl 
would  be  dead  as  a  nail  now,  wouldn't  she?  Yet  think  of 
her,  and  observe  how  her  face  shall  shape  itself  out  of  the 
substance — be  it  sunbright  or  dark  as  this  water — upon 
which  your  eyes  rest  as  you  muse.     Is  that  so?" 

"Yes,  sir;  but "  ' 

"  But  me  no  buts ;  I  can  guess  your  objection.  You 
want  your  spectres  to  turn  out  in  the  conventional  cos- 
tumes, do  you!"  he  interrupted,  in  a  lively  mocking  voice. 
"  You  seek  for  your  supernaturalism  in  scanty  skirts,  eh? 
Your  spirit  must  make  its  bow  silvered  over  with  a  tine 
moonlight  light,  like  the  theatrical  angels  I  once  saw  hover- 
ing round  a  tragedy- woman's  death-bed  at  the  Portsmouth 
Theatre.  If  that  be  your  theory  of  ghosts,  Madison,  you 
need  never  lard  your  head  to  keep  terror  from  stirring  your 
hair.  .  .  .  Ay,  our  beautiful  luck!"  he  muttered,  as  the 
mainsail  flapped  heavily ;  "  let  us  be  becalmed  for  a  fort- 
night, and  then  get  a  breeze  to  blow  us  the  news  that  treat- 
ies of  peace  have  been  signed  by  all  the  Powers." 

And  so  saying  he  got  up  with  a  yawn  and  a  long  stretch 
of  his  arms,  and,  with  a  half-smothered  laugh,  lounged 
lazily  over  to  the  binnacles,  where  he  stood  for  some  min- 
utes courting  the  wind  by  whistling  through  his  teeth,  and 
then  went  below,  leaving  me  so  much  in  doubt  as  to 
whether  his  talk  about  spirits  had  not  been  mere  banter, 
in  spite  of  his  declarations  of  sincerity,  that,  to  save  myself 
a  heap  of  idle  speculations,  I  let  the  subject  fall  from 
my  mind. 

The  light  air  that  had  kept  the  water  tinkling  against  the 
sides  of  the  schooner  now  died  completely  out,  and  the  long 
swell  rolled  in  lines  like  liquid  jet  along  the  glassy  sea, 
flashing  back  the  silver  of  the  moon  as  they  passed  under 
her,  and  sweeping  onward  in  black  ridges  into  the  distant 
gloom.  The  vessel  lifted  and  sank  upon  these  heavings  as 
noiselessly  as  a  swing,  unless  now  and  again  the  canvas 
gave  a  smart  flap,  or  a  block  squealed  like  a  rat  among  the 
swaying  spars ;  but  the  water  for  the  space  of  a  fathom 
away  all  around  was  a  beautiful  sight,  with  the  phosphores- 
cent fires  which,  as  the  hull  sank,  shot  out  in  tongues  of 


276  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

flame,  or  in  fibrine  forms  like  the  wreathing  of  innumerable 
tendrils  of  plants,  and  which,  as  the  vessel  was  hove  up, 
faded  into  green  clouds  like  puffs  of  steam  illuminated  by 
blue  light.  It  was  like  looking  into  a  kaleidoscope  to  see 
the  graceful  writhings  of  these  lovely  though  weird  fires, 
and  never  had  I  been  in  a  better  mood  to  watch  the  play  of 
the  mysterious  radiance  ami  to  mark  the  wonderful  lumi- 
nous shapes  which  were  formed — flitting,  and  fluctuating 
and  nebulous  visions,  whose  astonishing  configurations  ad- 
mirably harmonized  with  the  vast,  unsearchable,  and  ebony- 
colored  depths,  on  the  polished  surface  of  which  they 
sported  like  brilliant  summer  flies  on  some  stream  that  runs 
darkling  under  the  shadow  of  trees. 

However,  some  time  before  midnight  sentiment  had  been 
tired  out  of  me.  The  dew  lay  so  heavy  on  the  decks  that 
the  starlight  sparkled  in  them  as  though  a  shower  of  rain 
had  fallen.  I  went  right  aft  and  squatted  myself  on  the 
grating,  waiting  with  impatience  for  midnight  to  be  struck. 

Suddenly,  the  man  who  held  the  tiller  with  both  hands 
astern  of  him,  and  lolled  against  the  head  of  it  as  though 
weary  of  standing,  shifted  his  posture,  and  I  saw  him  rear 
himself  on  tiptoe,  and  peer  eagerly  into  the  darkness  right 
abeam. 

"What  do  you  see,  Andrews?"  said  I. 

"Isn't  that  a  sail  away  down  yonder,  sir?"  he  exclaimed, 
pointing  with  his  long  arm,  so  that  with  his  projected  head 
and  eager  attitude  he  looked  as  if  he  were  calling  down  a 
curse  upon  some  distant  object. 

I  peered  and  peered.  Presently  I  was  sure,  and  went 
for  the  glass,  and  when  the  swell  threw  the  schooner  up,  I 
could  just  make  out  a  small  dark  shadow  upon  the  gloomy 
water-line;  but  I  lost  it  instantly,  and  before  I  could  "fix" 
it  again,  as  the  Yankees  say,  eight  bells  were  struck. 
There  was  a  shuffling  and  snorting  and  yawning  along  the 
decks ;  a  mass  of  human  figures  uncoiled  themselves  from 
behind  the  guns,  from  the  scuppers,  from  the  front  of  the 
galley ;  the  deck  was  heavily  thumped,  and  a  hoarse  voice 
summoned  the  port  watch  to  turn  out. 

I  went  below  and  roused  up  Chestree,  and  told  him  that 
we  had  just  sighted  a  sail  away  on  the  port  beam,  and 
desired  him  to  arouse  Shelvocke  on  the  first  appearance  of 


A  STRANGE  VISION.  277 

a  breeze.  So  saying,  I  entered  my  berth,  undressed  my- 
self, and  lay  down,  leaving  the  door  open  that  I  might  get 
the  benefit  of  the  draught  of  air  that  circled  through  the 
open  porthole  each  time  the  vessel  rolled  that  way. 

The  wearing  anxiety  induced  by  the  gale  of  the  morning, 
coupled  with  the  long  and  decidedly  tedious  watch  I  had 
jnst  stood,  had  left  me  as  sleepy  as  ever  I  had  been  in  my 
life,  and  having  consoled  myself  with  the  belief  that  there 
was  small  chance  of  a  breeze  springing  up  to  close  us  with 
the  vessel  abeam,  at  any  rate  for  the  next  hour  or  so,  I 
dropped  my  head  upon  the  pillow. 

My  senses  were  beginning  to  scatter,  and  I  had  lapsed 
into  the  imbecile  stage  of  slumber  when  a  man  is  sufficiently 
awake  to  hear  a  question  asked,  and  sufficiently  asleep  not 
to  know  what  he  answers.  Suddenly  I  found  myself,  with 
my  eyes  wide  open,  listening  intently. 

What  was  it? 

A  cry?  a  thump,  as  though  a  heavy  block  had  fallen 
from  aloft  on  to  the  deck? 

Some  peculiar  noise  had  unquestionably  startled  me.  I 
lay  hearkening,  but  was  too  dead-tired  to  sustain  that  at- 
tention: my  eyes  closed  again,  and  I  fell  sound  asleep 
instantly,  like  a  fortnight-old  baby. 

"Hallo!  confound  it — let  go,  will  you?"  I  shouted, 
dreaming;  and  then  sat  bolt  upright.  "What's  the  matter 
now  ?" 

The  tall,  gaunt  figure  of  Chestree  stood  beside  my  bunk ; 
he  held  a  lantern  in  his  hand,  and  the  yellow  light  shining 
upon  his  face  made  it  resemble  the  imperfect  lineaments  of 
some  ancient  portrait  glimmering  out  of  a  black  background. 

"  A  dreadful  accident  has  just  happened,  sir.  Mr.  Pea- 
cock has  fallen  from  the  foretopsail-yard,  and  I  am  afraid 
he  is  killed." 

The  news  of  a  Frenchman  or  a  Yankee  being  alongside 
would  not  have  awakened  me  more  effectually  than  this 
piece  of  intelligence.  I  jumped  out  of  my  bunk,  and  has- 
tily clothed  myself. 

"  Where  is  he?"  I  asked. 

"  I  left  him  on  deck,  sir.  Corney  is  with  him.  Shall  I 
call  the  captain?" 

"  Wait  until  I  hear  what  Corney  says," 


278  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

I  sprang  up  the  companion-steps,  followed  by  the  second 
mate,  and  ran  toward  a  group  of  men  who  were  assembled 
abreast  of  the  galley.  One  of  them  held  a  lantern,  the 
light  of  which  shone  upon  the  motionless  figure  of  the  poor 
lad  lying  on  his  back  on  the  deck,  with  his.  head  resting  on 
the  arm  of  a  seaman,  while  Corney  stood  over  him. 

Of  all  the  dreadful,  heart-breaking  sights  that  ever  I 
beheld,  none  that  I  can  remember  equalled  the  spectacle  of 
mutilation  exhibited  by  this  lad.  His  face,  so  greatly  ad- 
mired by  me  for  the  beauty  of  the  large,  spiritual,  eloquent, 
dark  eyes,  the  square  white  forehead  shaded  by  the  cluster- 
ing auburn  tresses,  the  straight  nose  and  delicately  carven 
nostrils,  was  a  crushed,  shapeless,  unrecognizable  bloody 
mass.  The  sickened  and  horrified  eye  sought  in  vain  for 
any  semblance  of  humanity  lingering  amid  the  ghastly 
wreck.  And  still  he  was  breathing!  Father  of  pity,  that 
such  an  object  should  yet  have  life  in  it! 

The  seaman  who  held  the  lantern  thrust  it  into  the  hand 
of  one  of  his  mates,  and,  covering  his  eyes,  went  reeling 
into  the  darkness,  unable  to  stand  the  sight.  Not  a  word 
was  spoken.  As  I  leaned  forward,  Corney  looked  up  at  me, 
and  then  fixed  his  eyes  upon  the  boy,  and  in  perfect  silence 
we  stood  around,  our  ears  tortured  by  the  breathing  of  what 
veritably  looked  but  a  sod,  while  the  dimly  burning  lan- 
tern kept  the  shadows  dancing  upon  our  ghastly  and  pallid 
faces,  heightening  by  the  capricious  twitchings  the  expres- 
sion of  horror  in  the  eyes  which  peered  around. 

The  breathing  of  the  poor,  crushed  lad  was  as  vigorous 
as  that  of  a  healthy  man ;  but  all  on  a  sudden  it  stopped — 
it  stopped  so  abruptly  that  every  looker-on  gave  a  start; 
and  a  cry  rose  up  from  our  feet,  a  short,  thick,  half -smoth- 
ered cry,  and  then  a  sputtering,  suffocating  cough ;  a  black 
stream  that  glistened  like  ink  in  the  lantern-light  crept 
from  the  head  an  inch  or  two  along  the  deck;  there  was  a 
sharp  quivering  of  the  limbs,  and  the  boy  lay  dead. 

Corney  was  the  first  to  speak. 

"It's  all  over,  sir,  and  the  Lord  be  praised  that  it's 
quickly  over.     The  breathing  of  such  a  thing  was  shocking." 

"How  did  this  happen,  Chestree?"  I  asked. 

The  poor  fellow,  who  appeared  quite  broken  down,  looked 
at  me  as  if  he  had  the  lockjaw. 


A  STRANGE  VISION.  279 

"I  sent  him  aloft,"  he  answered,  in  a  hollow  voice,  "to 
see  what  he  could  make  of  yonder  sail.  He  went  briskly 
enough  forward,  and  I  watched  him  jump  into  the  fore- 
shrouds.  A  minute  after  I  heard  a  crash,  and  a  dark  ob- 
ject rolled  off  the  top  of  the  galley  on  to  the  deck.  I 
rushed  forward,  and  saw" — his  voice  failed  him,  and  he 
hid  his  face  in  his  hands,  trembling  from  head  to  foot. 

"He  struck  the  top  o'  the  galley  first,  sir,"  exclaimed  a 
seaman.  "I  was  lying  just  here,  and  his  body  rolled  over 
with  the  send  o'  the  swell,  and  dropped  close  alongside  o' 
me.  He  spotted  my  face  all  over  with  his  blood,"  he  added 
passing  bis  hands  over  his  bronzed  cheeks  with  a  quick  ges- 
ture, half  of  disgust  and  half  of  fear,  and  then  slewing 
round  to  examine  his  palms  by  the  light. 

A  sheet  was  procured,  the  lad's  hammock  brought  up 
from  the  cabin  in  which  it  swung,  the  body  placed  in  it,  and 
a  couple  of  seamen  were  about  to  carry  it  below  into  one 
of  the  spare  after-berths,  when  Shelvocke  arrived  on  deck. 

"What  have  you  got  there,  men?"  he  called  out. 
"What's  the  meaning  of  that  lighted  lantern?  Where's 
the  officer  in  charge?" 

"Here,  sir,"  responded  Chestree,  and  sidling  up  to  me, 
he  exclaimed,  "For  God's  sake,  Mr.  Madison,  break  the 
news  to  him !  He  was  attached  to  that  boy,  sir.  I'm  an 
awkward  fist  at  such  work." 

I  immediately  walked  up  to  Shelvocke. 

"Is  that  you,  Madison?"  he  sung  out,  as  I  approached. 

"Yes,  sir." 

"  Why,  what  are  you  doing  on  deck  in  your  watch  below? 
What's  going  forward,  eh?"  he  cried  sharply. 

"  A  dreadful  accident  has  just  happened,  sir.  Mr.  Pea- 
cock has  fallen  from  the  foretopsail-yard,  where  he  was 
sent  to  get  a  view  of  a  strange  sail,  down  yonder." 

There  was  a  pause — it  seemed  to  me  a  long  one,  though  at 
such  moments  as  these  impressions  are  always  exaggerated. 

"Fallen  from  the  foretopsail-yard?"  he  exclaimed,  turn- 
ing his  back  upon  the  two  men  who  had  advanced  as  far  as 
the  main  hatch  with  their  burden,  and  stood  there  holding 
it  between  them  and  waiting  for  further  orders.  "  Is  he — • 
is  he  much  hurt?"  he  asked,  in  the  voice  of  a  man  who 
forces  himself  to  pronounce  words  he  abhors. 


280  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

"The  fall,  I  deeply  regret  to  say,  has  killed  him,  sir." 

11  Killed  him!"  he  shouted  fiercely,  turning  upon  me 
with  a  swiftness  that  might  have  passed  for  an  action  full 
of  menace.     "  Do  you  tell  me  that  Peacock  is  dead?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

Though  the  feeble  starlight  gave  me  no  more  of  his  face 
than  the  shape  and  whiteness  of  it,  I  could  guess  its  ex- 
pression as  he  stood  for  many  moments  like  one  transfixed; 
stock  still,  as  though  by  some  magic  he  had  been  converted 
into  marble.  A  deep  sigh  broke  from  him,  and  his  man- 
ner changed. 

"  Who  sent  him  aloft?"  he  demanded. 

"I  did,  sir,"  responded  Chestree,  who  had  drawn  near. 

"Then,"  said  he,  lifting  his  clenched  fist  as  though  he 
intended  to  strike  the  second  mate,  " you  are  his  murderer, 
sir!  his  blood  is  on  your  head!"  and  rearing  himself  to  his 
full  height,  he  thundered  out  in  a  voice  positively  hoarse 
with  passion ;  "  How  dare  you  order  a  delicate  boy  like 
him  into  that  dark  rigging?" 

Chestree  stood  with  his  mouth  wide  open,  utterly  bewil- 
dered by  this  furious  attack,  and  my  own  astonishment  was 
supreme.  That  Shelvocke  had  a  liking,  nay,  that  he  had 
even  a  fondness  for  the  boy,  furtively  as  it  had  been  ex- 
pressed, at  least  in  my  presence,  I  knew;  and  no  reason- 
able expression  of  sorrow  on  his  part  would  have  surprised 
me.  But  to  hear  him  attack  poor  Chestree  as  a  murderer, 
and  watch  him  wrestling  with  sobs  which  appeared  to  rend 
his  frame,  was  indeed  to  be  the  spectator  of  an  extraordi- 
nary exhibition,  and  I  was  pretty  sure  from  that  moment 
that  there  was  something  deeper  in  this  matter  than  had 
met  either  my  eye  or  my  ear. 

He  seemed,  however,  to  realize  the  insanity  of  his  con- 
duct, or  at  least  of  his  abuse  of  Chestree,  for  his  hand  fell 
to  his  side,  and  he  muttered  apologetically : 

"  Gentlemen,  this  is  a  dreadful  blow — it  is  the  unexpect- 
edness of  it  that  deprives  me  of  the  power  to  meet  it  as  I 
should." 

"Captain,"  exclaimed  Chestree,  in  a  hoarse,  tremulous 
voice,  but  very  spunkily,  "you  were  not  fonder  of  that  boy 
than  I  was,  sir;  and  I  would  rather  have  lost  my  right  arm 
than  that  this  accident  should  have  happened  through  my 


"  Then  vou  are  tiis  murderer,  sir 


his  blood  be  on  your  head." 
— Page  280. 


A  STRANGE  VISION.  281 

agency.  But  if  you  call  rue  murderer  for  doing  that  which 
I  have  done  a  score  of  times,  not  in  this  schooner  only,  but 
in  the  ship  he  and  I  sailed  in  when  he  was  a  little  fellow, 
you  grievously  wrong  me,  Captain  Shelvocke — by  heaven, 
you  do,  sir!  and  I  would  rather  lie  in  irons  for  the  rest  of 
the  cruise,  and  forfeit  every  penny  of  the  prize-money  1 
have  earned  aboard  the  Tigress,  than  suffer  such  an  attack, 
such  an  unjust  attack,  upon  my  character  at  your  hands 
again,  sir." 

And  the  poor  fellow  sniffed  and  snuffled  as  though  he 
were  shedding  tears. 

"Say  no  more,  Chestree,"  answered  Shelvocke  in  a 
broken  voice.  "  I  was  hasty — I  ask  your  pardon ;  I  knoAV 
you  were  fond  of  the  boy" — the  rest  of  the  sentence  stuck 
in  his  throat.  And  turning  to  me  he  said,  "  Let  the  body 
be  taken  below,  Madison — placed  in  the  spare  berth  next 
to  mine;  and  he  walked  right  aft,  and  stood  with  his  back 
toward  us,  and  never  stirred  from  that  posture  .until  the 
men  returned  from  depositing  their  melancholy  burden, 
when  he  quitted  the  deck. 

The  calm  was  still  as  profound  as  when  the  watch  below 
had  been  called;  the  schooner  probably  had  not  drifted  her 
own  length  in  that  time.  I  took  the  glass  to  scrutinize  the 
strange  sail  in  the  northeast,  but  could  make  nothing  of 
the  minute  dusky  patch.  Some  men  were  swabbing  the 
deck  where  the  body  had  fallen,  and  as  the  lantern -light 
by  which  they  worked  glanced  upon  the  foot  of  the  fore- 
mast, the  recollection  of  the  apparition  that  had  appeared 
to  Peacock  rushed  upon  me,  and  one  of  those  swift  shud- 
ders which  seem  to  thicken  the  blood  and  make  the  senses 
cold  passed  through  me,  though  I  promptly  checked  the 
feeling  and  recovered  myself. 

Observing  me  to  remain  on  deck,  Chestree  came  out  of 
the  waist,  moving  with  such  a  slow,  bruised,  and  dejected 
air  that  the  most  expert  mute  in  advance  of  a  hearse  could 
not  have  carried  himself  more  dolorously. 

"Come,  Chestree,  take  heart,"  said  I.  "You  could  no 
more  have  helped  this  terrible  accident  from  befalling  the 
poor  boy  than  you  could  have  stopped  a  cannou-ball  from 
killing  him  in  an  action." 

"I  know  that,  sir;    but  it  is  a  fearful  thing  to  be  called 


282  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

a  murderer,  Mr.  Madison,  and  I  do  feel  that  Peacock  would 
be  alive  now  if  I  had  not  sent  him  aloft." 

"  For  calling  you  a  murderer,  Captain  Shelvocke  has 
apologized,  and  his  regret  ought  to  satisfy  you.  You  saw 
how  deeply  affected  he  was,  and  a  man  in  that  state  of  mind 
should  not  be  held  responsible  for  every  word  he  utters. 
As  to  your  assertion  that  Peacock  would  still  be  alive  had 
not  you  ordered  him  aloft,  all  that  I  can  say  is  you  are  the 
cleverest  man  in  the  world  if  your  foresight  can  provide 
against  other  people's  misfortunes.  So  forget  Shelvocke' s 
language,  and  clear  your  conscience  of  all  sense  of  the 
responsibility  of  the  lad's  death." 

"Well,  sir,  you  are  no  doubt  right;  but  it  will  take  me 
some  time  to  balance  my  mind  afresh,"  said  he,  in  a  sort  of 
groaning  voice.  "I've  seen  a  number  of  accidents  in  my 
time,  and  some  dreadful  deaths  by  wounds ;  but  nothing 
ever  shocked  me  so  much  as  this.  I  wouldn't  mind  if  he 
had  been  killed  by  a  ball  or  a  pike  at  my  side;  a  brave  or 
fair  death  like  that  wouldn't  make  me  feel  that  I  would 
give  ten  guineas  to  be  able  to  clear  the  tears  out  of  my 
throat.  But  to  fall  like  a  sack  from  that  fearful  height," 
he  exclaimed,  looking  up  at  the  yards  towering  into  the 
gloom :  "  to  see  his  beautiful  face  mashed  like  a  ripe  pear 
chucked  against  the  wall;  to  think  of  his  plucky  little  soul 
being  dismissed  from  this  world  by  a  mere  rigger's  accident 
— oh  Lord!  oh  dear!  it's  enough  to  melt  the  heart  of  a 
shark!" 

His  grief  was  so  lively  that  it  twisted  him  about  on  his 
legs  as  though  somebody  were  shaking  him  by  the  scruff  of 
his  neck;  and  he  plucked  at  various  parts  of  his  garments 
with  his  long  claws  like  a  drunken  man  trying  to  undress 
himself. 

"But  who  would  have  imagined,"  he  continued,  "that 
Captain  Shelvocke  would  take  it  so  much  to  heart?  He 
didn't  know  him  so  well  as  I.  He  never  boxed  an  appren- 
tice's ears  for  saucing  the  poor  little  chap.  He's  never 
laid  alongside  of  him  hammock  to  hammock,  and  listened 
to  him  yarning  about  what  he'd  do  when  he  came  to  be  a 
man,  as  I  have.  But  the  Lord  be  praised !  he  leaves  no 
mother  to  break  her  heart  over  his  going.  He's  gone  to  a 
place  where  he'll  hear  no  jokes  about  his  parents,   and 


A  STRANGE  VISION.  283 

never  be  made  to  blush  for  other  people's  sins,  and  where 
they'll  not  belay  his  singing,  nor  prevent  him  from  looking 
as  glorified  as  the  other  angels  because  he's  a  natural  child." 

And  burying  his  nose  in  a  large  pocket-handkerchief  he 
blew  a  loud  and  long  blast,  and,  apparently  relieved,  looked 
around  to  see  if  there  was  any  wind  coming. 

There  was  nothing  now  to  detain  me  on  deck ;  and  though 
I  did  not  feel  particularly  sleepy,  I  went  below  with  the 
intention  of  lying  down ;  but  on  reaching  the  cabin  I  saw 
Shelvocke  issue  from  the  berth  in  which  the  body  had  been 
placed,  holding  a  small  hand-lamp,  and  he  called  to  me  in  a 
whisper. 

I  followed  him  into  his  own  cabin.  Apparently  too 
overcome  to  speak,  he  pointed  to  a  chair  alongside  a  table 
strewn  with  papers,  charts,  and  nautical  instruments ;  and 
taking  a  flask  of  brandy  from  a  shelf  over  his  bunk,  he 
poured  out  a  full  dram  and  swallowed  it,  though  I  was 
struck  by  the  trembling  of  his  hand  as  he  raised  the  glass. 

"  I  have  just  been  to  look  at  the  body,"  said  he,  speaking 
in  a  low  voice  that  his  want  of  self-control  might  be  the 
better  concealed :  "  death  must  have  been  instantaneous. " 

"To  all  intents  and  purposes  it  was  so,  sir,  no  doubt." 

"What  a  wreck!  who  could  conceive  that  the  missing  of 
a  rope,  the  slipping  of  a  foot  could  crush  God's  most  beau- 
tiful image  into  such — into  such  an  object!"  He  passed 
his  handkerchief  over  his  forehead. 

"Mr.  Chestree  is  deeply  affected,"  said  I,  "by  this 
dreadful  misfortune.  I  believe  he  was  really  fond  of  the 
lad,  sir,  though  one  would  not  suppose  that  much  tender- 
ness could  lie  in  so  uncouth  a  cover.  He  is  also  greatly 
pained  by  your  grief,  as  indeed,  I  am,  sir." 

"My  grief!"  he  exclaimed,  looking  at  me  with  a  singu- 
lar expression.  "I  dare  say  you  are  both  surprised  as  well 
as  pained.  It  does  seem  strange,  no  doubt,  that  the  cap- 
tain of  a  vessel  should  be  stricken  down  by  the  death  of 
one  of  his  junior  officers.  One  does  not  look  for  such 
strong  sensibility  among  plain  seamen." 

I  made  him  no  answer. 

"But  this  boy  had  particular  claims  upon  me,"  he  con- 
tinued. "  I  knew  his  mother,  Madison.  She  died  when 
he  was  a  baby,  and  as  he  had  no  knowledge  of  his  father, 


284  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

he  was  but  an  orphan,  as  you  can  see :  and  what  is  there 
under  heaven  more  appealing  than  a  little  helpless  orphan? 
His  story  interested  me,  and  ever  since  his  mother  died  I 
have  watched  over  him,  and  I  know  now — I  know  now  that 
I  loved  him.  0  my  God!  what  is  there  more  detestable 
than  moral  cowardice?  What  sort  of  a  hero  is  he,  who 
having  the  reputation  of  such  bravery  as  gunpowder  and 
cutlasses  inspire  in  a  man,  fears  to  do  an  act  of  justice, 
shrinks  from  righting  those  whom  he  has  wronged,  and 
suffers  his  wicked  selfishness  to  cripple,  ay,  and  to  blast, 
the  happiness  of  innocent  beings  who  love  him?  Ask  me 
why  the  death  of  young  Peacock  has  prostrated  me  even  as 
you  see: — he  teas  my  son.'" 

I  looked  at  him  steadily. 

"  What!  you  have  guessed  the  secret  all  along." 

"No,  sir." 

"He  was  the  son  of  a  woman  whom  I  adored,  neglected, 
and  whose  heart  I  broke.  He  never  knew  that  I  was  his 
father,  though  had  he  survived  me,  my  will  would  have 
proclaimed  the  truth.  No!  it  was  from  no  cowardly  feel- 
ing that  I  held  my  secret  from  him.  I  kept  my  counsel  to 
save  him  the  shame  of  the  discovery,  hoping  that  I  might 
be  spared  to  such  an  age  that,  when  at  last  the  truth  was 
told  him,  he  would  be  a  man  in  years,  with  a  man's  forti- 
tude to  meet  and  despise  those  sneers  and  shrugs  which  are 
so  killingly  cruel  in  boyhood,  and  with  money  enough  to 
purchase  that  marketable  thing,  the  world's  esteem.  He 
was  a  bright  lad,  as  clever  as  he  was  handsome — he  had  his 
mother's  eyes.  God  alone  knows  the  pride  I  took  in  him, 
and  how  keen  that  pride  was  made  by  concealment." 

"  Yet  it  was  certainly  known  to  him  that  his  mother  was 
not  a  wedded  woman,  sir." 

"  I  heard  that  from  you  first.  The  captain  to  whom  I 
apprenticed  him — the  only  man  to  whom  I  told  the  story — 
must  have  blabbed ;  otherwise  how  should  the  boy  have 
known?" 

"Unless,"  said  I,  making  the  observation  merely  to  in- 
troduce the  subject  without  violence,  "  he  had  learned  it  by 
the  metaphysical  means  of  which  Macbeth  speaks." 

'  What  do  you  mean?"  he  inquired,  staring  at  me  fixedly. 

'Why,  sir,  I  believe  he  was  a  ghostseer,   a  quality  iix 


A  STRANGE  VISION.  285 

him  that  your  admissions  last  night  and  your  confessions 
now  make  intelligible." 

"How  do  you  know?"  he  exclaimed  impatiently. 

"  I  asked  him  yesterday  evening,"  said  I,  speaking  almost 
in  a  whisper — for  the  mystery  of  that  visitation,  coupled 
with  the  proximity  of  the  dead  body,  subdued  me  in  spite 
of  myself — "  what  was  the  cause  of  his  depression.  I  think 
you  noticed  how  dull  he  was  at  dinner.  After  some  con- 
versation I  succeeded  in  getting  him  to  confess  that  in  yes- 
terday morning's  watch,  before  daybreak,  he  had  gone 
forward  on  an  errand,  and  while  standing  near  the  fore- 
mast he  beheld  a  light  that  brightened  into  a  human  face, 
the  lips  of  which  pronounced  his  name,  while  she  pointed 
up  after  making  the  sign  of  the  cross." 

"His  name/"  he  exclaimed  in  a  long-drawn  thrilling 
whisper.     "  What  name?" 

"Philip." 

"Merely  Philip?" 

"That  was  all,  sir." 

"Did  he  describe  the  vision?"  he  asked,  while  I  saw 
the  sweat  gathering  upon  his  forehead  in  large  gouts. 

"  He  did.  He  represented  the  face  as  pale,  with  black 
eyes  and  yellow  hair." 

"Ay,"  he  muttered,  "and  she  appeared  to  me  too." 

He  clasped  his  hands  tightly  and  leaned  back,  with  his 
eyes  lifted  to  the  cabin  ceiling.  I  rose,  thinking  I  had 
stayed  long  enough.  He  looked  at  me  with  a  lack-lustre 
eye  and  said:     "Are  you  going,  Madison?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"  Well,  I  thank  you  for  your  sympathy.  And  now,  from 
this  moment,  please  let  no  further  words  pass  between  us 
on  this  subject." 

I  bowed.  He  extended  his  hand,  and  I  shook  it;  but 
the  moment  I  liberated  it  he  locked  his  fingers  afresh  and 
lay  back  in  his  chair  with  his  eyes  raised;  and  this  was  his 
posture  when  I  left  him. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE    SLAVER. 

I  turned  in  again,  wondering  how  long  I  should  be  per- 
mitted to  rest  this  time,  and  mused  over  the  events  of  the 
night  and  Shelvocke's  confession,  and  ghosts,  and  the 
dreadful  sight  of  the  corpse,  until  my  brain  simmered  over 
my  fancies,  like  a  saucepan  on  a  hob. 

The  main  source  of  my  bewilderment  was  that  Shelvocke 
as  well  as  poor  little  Peacock  should  have  been  visited  by 
the  same  apparition.  Peacock  seeing  it  I  had  attributed  to 
an  hysterical  and  morbid  nervous  system;  but  Shelvocke's 
evidence — the  evidence  of  a  matter-of-fact,  healthy,  sound- 
headed  seaman  like  Shelvocke — proved  that  the  spectral 
face  that  had  risen  upon  Peacock  was  no  cozenage  of  the 
lad's  fancy;  and  the  poor  fellow  being  killed  a  few  hours 
after  the  vision  had  by  its  motions  prophesied  his  death, 
was  such  a  confirmation  of  the  ghostly  story  as  might  have 
scared  a  man  more  sceptical  that  I  in  such  matters. 

I  was  really  not  clever  enough,  however,  to  argue  the 
subject  out.  My  reason  went  one  way,  and  my  imagina- 
tion the  other.  Certainly  the  hull  of  a  privateer  seemed  an 
odd  theatre  for  a  ghost  to  act  or  threaten  a  tragedy  on; 
though  if  tradition  spoke  the  truth,  the  Tigress'  was  not 
the  only  deck  upon  which  a  spirit  had  walked,  to  the  dis- 
may of  Forecastle  Jack. 

I  lay  for  a  whole  hour  thinking  over  supernatural  things : 
the  Flying  Dutchman,  composants  whose  blue  radiance  had 
blasted  the  life  out  of  men,  and  left  them  hanging  over  the 
yards  like  bolsters,  drowned  cats  who  had  reappeared  at 
midnight  and  mewed  up  heavy  contrary  gales;  until,  curs- 
ing myself  for  an  idiot,  I  shifted  my  position,  screwed  up 
my  eyes,  and  forcing  my  mind  upon  pleasant  thoughts,  at 
last  fell  asleep. 

I  was  aroused  by  the  shrilling  of  the  boatswain's  pipe 


THE  SLAVER.  28? 

calling  all  hands,  and  immediately  jumped  up  and  went  on 
deck,  noticing  that  it  wanted  five  minutes  to  four  by  the 
cabin  clock,  so  that  my  watch  below  was  very  near  over. 
The  first  person  I  encountered  was  Shelvocke,  who  was  giv- 
ing directions  in  his  usual  voice  to  some  men  engaged  in 
trimming  the  after  canvas.  There  was  a  light  breeze  blow- 
ing, and  every  stitch  had  been  set,  and  there  was  a  very 
pretty  little  murmur  of  running  waters. 

Guessing  the  meaning  of  this  bustle,  I  stooped  to  look 
for  the  sail  I  had  descried  some  hours  before.  Shelvocke 
saw  me,  and  said,  "She  is  yonder,"  pointing  on  the  lee 
bow.  "See  all  clear,  Mr.  Madison,"  said  he.  "She  looks 
to  me  to  be  a  large  brig,  but  I  am  not  yet  certain." 

His  tone  was  perfectly  collected.  In  a  few  minutes  the 
hands  were  all  grouped  at  quarters,  and  I  stationed  myself 
aft  with  a  glass  to  examine  the  stranger  as  we  approached 
her.  Shelvocke  walked  the  weather  side  of  the  deck  like  a 
pendulum,  sometimes  coming  over  to  my  side  and  peering 
into  the  gloom  ahead,  and  making  some  commonplace  re- 
marks about  the  weather,  and  speculating  upon  the  charac- 
ter of  the  stranger.  To  judge  from  his  present  manner,  no 
one  would  have  credited  that  a  short  time  ago  he  had  ap- 
peared crushed  and  half-crazy  with  grief.  Such  an  instance 
of  self-control  I  should  hardly  have  believed  possible ;  and 
this  surprising  exhibition  of  nerve  and  will  deepened  the 
amazement  with  which  I  reflected  upon  his  belief  in  spirits, 
and  his  assurance  that  one  had  appeared  to  him. 

The  southerly  wind  that  had  sprung  up  was  very  gentle, 
and  being  on  the  quarter,  the  schooner's  progress  was  slow ; 
and,  when  the  dawn  broke,  making  the  horizon  a  line  as 
black  as  ink  against  the  ashen  sky,  the  vessel  was  fully 
five  miles  distant. 

As  she  stood  hove  up  against  the  dawn,  T  never  beheld  a 
more  clearly  marked  object.  She  looked  like  a  vessel  cut 
out  of  black  paper,  and  pasted  on  a  gray  ground,  and  had 
all  the  brilliantly  sharp  minuteness  you  find  on  inverting  a 
telescope  and  looking  through  the  big  end  of  it.  She  proved 
to  be,  as  Shelvocke  suspected,  a  large  brig;  but  of  all  puz- 
zling sights,  the  spectacle  she  submitted  when  viewed 
through  the  glass  was  one  of  the  most  singular,  at  least  to 
a  sailor's  eyes. 


28§  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

The  dawn  brightened  so  rapidly,  and  her  outlines  were 
so  beautifully  clear,  that  her  remarkable  appearance  was  at 
once  apparent.  Every  yard  upon  her  two  masts  was  braced 
to  a  different  angle;  she  had  both  topsails  set,  each  of 
them  twisted  contrary  ways,  as  far  as  the  bolt-ropes  would 
let  them  go,  through  the  canting  of  the  yards;  her  fore- 
sail hung  in  rags  which,  in  the  brightening  light,  resembled 
long  icicles  depending  from  the  yard;  the  outer  jib  (the 
halliards  of  which  had  been  let  go  or  carried  away)  was 
trailing  overboard;  her  spanker  was  split  in  halves,  and 
the  huge  rent  opened  to  every  swing  of  the  boom,  and 
looked,  with  the  light  sky  coming  and  going  behind  it,  like 
an  immense  eye  blinking.  Her  hull  was  black  and  round- 
sided,  somewhat  low  in  the  water,  and  her  bows  were 
graced  with  a  long,  projecting,  finely  curved  stem;  and 
these  signs,  added  to  her  short  lower-masts,  and  the  raking 
stay  of  her  lofty  spars,  strongly  disposed  me  to  consider 
her  a  Yankee,  and  a  fighting  vessel  too. 

But,  in  the  name  of  conscience,  what  doing  in  that  trim? 

"  Do  you  notice  she  is  not  sailing,  sir?"  I  exclaimed  to 
Shelvocke.  "  Did  any  man  ever  see  yards  braced  about  as 
hers  are !  It  must  have  taken  her  people  a  long  time  to 
achieve  such  perfection  of  disorder." 

"  Can  you  make  out  any  signs  of  life  aboard  of  her?"  said 
Shelvocke. 

We  both  worked  at  her  with  our  glasses.  Presently  I 
sung  out: 

"Aren't  those  men's  heads  moving  about  near  the  wheel, 
sir?" 

"I  believe  they  are,"  replied  Shelvocke;  "yes — I  am 
certain  now.  Look  all  along  her  bulwarks,  right  away  to 
the  very  eyes  of  her.  Why,  Mr.  Madison,  she's  full  of 
men!" 

We  dropped  our  telescopes  and  stared  at  each  other. 
This  was  the  first  good  view  I  had  had  of  him  by  the  day- 
light. His  eyes  had  an  extremely  worn  look,  and  his  gen- 
eral appearance  was  that  of  a  man  who  had  been  confined 
for  some  days  to  his  bed  by  sickness.  But  there  was  noth- 
ing in  his  manner  to  indicate  even  a  lurking  grief  or  agita- 
tion. He  was  full  of  the  strange  brig  now,  and  eyed  me 
as  if  there  was  nothing  else  in  the  world  to  think  of. 


THE  SLAVER.  289 

"  She  has  the  look  of  a  slaver,  sir, "  sung  out  Chestree  to 
us  from  the  other  side  of  the  deck. 

"  Thank  you,  Mr.  Chestree ;  I  believe  your  suspicion  to 
be  correct,"  answered  Shelvocke,  with  a  marked  accent  of 
kindness  in  his  voice.  "  The  crowds  of  heads  along  her 
side,  Madison,  can't  belong  to  her  crew,  or  surely  they 
would  not  suffer  her  to  remain  in  that  condition." 

1  levelled  the  glass  and  looked  again. 

"She  has  six  ports  on  this  side,  sir,"  said  I;  "but  only 
three  of  them  are  filled.  Why,  see!  is  not  that  a  naked 
black  man  standing  on  the  rail  abaft  the  main  rigging,  or 
does  he  merely  look  black  against  the  sky?" 

"Naked  he  certainly  is,"  exclaimed  Shelvocke,  steady- 
ing his  telescope  against  a  backstay ;  "  and  for  that  same 
reason  black  no  doubt.  Why,  surely  she  must  be  a  filled 
slaver  deserted  by  her  crew." 

By  this  time  the  sun  had  risen,  and  a  league  away  to  the 
right  of  the  brig  the  water  was  flashing  back  his  blinding 
beams  and  catching  here  and  there  a  flecking  of  pink  from 
the  gloriously  colored  sunrise;  the  sparkling  rays  shone 
broad  on  the  sails  and  hull  of  the  brig;  and  the  crowds  of 
negroes,  whose  heads  swarmed  above  the  straight  black 
bulwarks,  were  distinctly  visible  to  the  naked  eye. 

"Here's  a  dead  body  passing  us,  sir,"  suddenly  shouted 
out  one  of  the  men  stationed  at  the  forecastle  gun,  craning 
his  neck  as  he  gazed  over  the  side. 

I  put  down  the  glass  and  looked  over  into  the  water; 
and  sure  enough,  about  a  fathom's  distance  abreast  of  the 
port  cathead  there  floated  the  corpse  of  a  man  on  his  breast, 
with  the  head  immersed  in  the  water  and  the  feet  drooping, 
so  as  to  make  a  semicircle  of  the  body.  He  was  dressed  in 
a  blue  shirt  and  white  duck  trousers,  the  ends  of  which 
were  crowded  into  a  pair  of  high  yellow-leather  boots,  and 
a  long  sheath-knife  rested  on  his  hip,  suspended  by  a  broad 
belt  that  clasped  his  waist.  His  hands  being  stretched 
right  down  under  him  in  the  green  water,  and  his  face  hid- 
den, it  was  impossible  to  tell  his  color.  He  glided  rapidly 
astern;  but  veering  into  our  wake,  the  eddying  of  the  water 
twisted  the  body  in  such  a  manner  as  to  give  one  the  im- 
pression that  he  was  still  struggling  for  life. 

"That  should  be  one  of  the  brig's  crew,"  said  Shelvocke; 
19 


290  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

"  and  it  looks  uncommonly  as  though  the  slaves  had  risen 
upon  her  people.     If  so,  the  job  has  been  a  recent  one." 

This  was  evident  enough  from  the  proximity  of  the  body 
to  the  vessel.  But  another  five  minutes  placed  the  matter 
beyond  all  question.  We  had  floated  to  within  musket- 
range  of  the  brig,  and  had  rounded  to,  and  there  within 
speaking-distance  lay  this  large  and  powerful  slaver,  her 
sides  crowded  with  black  faces  and  naked  figures,  and  look- 
ing as  woe-begone  and  helpless  an  object  as  the  mind  can 
well  imagine,  with  her  yards  twisted  in  all  directions,  and 
her  foresail  in  rags  and  her  gear  in  the  utmost  confusion. 
She  was,  in  one  sense,  hove  to,  if  the  slewing  of  her  top- 
sails into  corkscrews  could  be  so  considered;  but  in  reality 
she  was  drifting,  though  softly  enough,  dead  to  leeward,  as 
could  be  seen  by  the  short,  broad,  oily  wake  that  hung 
around  her  weather  side  from  stem  to  stern. 

So  far  as  I  could  judge,  there  were  at  least  two  hundred 
and  fifty  negroes,  negresses,  and  pickaninnies  clustered  along 
the  bulwark  of  the  brig,  many  of  them  exhibiting  their  full 
figures  as  they  stood  upon  the  rail  holding  on  to  the  rig- 
ging. We  were  near  enough  to  see  the  glittering  of  their 
eyes  in  the  sunshine,  and  the  flashing  of  their  white  teeth 
as  they  jabbered  to  one  another  and  pointed  at  us,  and, 
what  was  more  ominous,  the  sparkling  of  the  cutlasses  with 
which  a  great  number  of  them  were  armed.  In  spite  of 
the  wind  being  the  contrary  way,  we  could  distinctly  hear 
the  hum  of  their  voices,  and  now  and  again  the  shouting  of 
one  man — exceedingly  like  the  vociferation  of  some  outdoor 
holy  hullabalooist  one  hears  preaching  in  England  on  Sun- 
days— as  though  they  had  a  chief  or  leader  aboard,  who 
kept  up  their  courage  by  clamoring  at  them. 

"  I  suppose  they  don't  understand  the  use  of  gunpowder," 
said  I,  turning  to  Shelvocke,  "  or  surely  they  would  have 
given  us  a  dose  from  their  small  arms  or  guns  by  this  time." 

"I  think  that  may  be  taken  for  granted,"  he  replied. 
"  Forecastle,  there !  keep  your  bow-gun  covering  the  brig 
ready  to  fire." 

"Ay,  ay,  sir." 

"Put  your  helm  up — ease  off  your  main-sheet — steady; 
keep  at  that,  now." 

We  ran  down  to  within  a  biscuit's  throw  of  her,  and 


THE  SLAVER.  291 

rounded  to  again.  The  negroes  imagined  we  meant  to 
board  them,  for  they  brandished  their  cutlasses,  and 
squealed,  and  yelled  like  pigs  dragged  along  in  sacks;  the 
very  children  threatened  us  with  their  little  black  arms, 
and  the  thick  line  of  black  woolly  patches  bubbled  and 
poppled  like  boiling  pitch,  while  dozens  of  full-length  black 
muscular  figures,  standing  upon  the  rail  or  the  lower  rat- 
lines, frantically  motioned  to  us  to  keep  off. 

Their  cries  ceased  when  we  put  our  helm  down,  but  the 
same  thick  guttural  voice  that  had  before  sounded  rose 
once  more,  broken  occasionally  by  a  sort  of  deep  acquies- 
cent buzz,  and  there  was  a  constant  quiver  of  gleaming 
cutlasses. 

"  I  see  no  signs  of  a  white  or  even  a  yellow  face'  among 
them!"  exclaimed  Shelvocke,  looking  considerably  puzzled. 
He  put  his  hand  to  the  side  of  his  mouth:  "  Brig  ahoy!" 

His  voice  produced  the  same  effect  that  might  have  been 
expected  from  a  cannon-shot;  volleys  of  the  most  extra- 
ordinary shouts  and  shrieks  broke  from  the  negroes,  and 
the  former  scene  of  brandished  cutlasses,  waving  arms,  and 
bobbing  heads  was  repeated,  this  time  with  a  little  extra 
emphasis. 

"Can  anybody  speak  English  among  you?"  sung  out 
Shelvocke,  when  he  could  make  his  voice  heard. 

This  second  hail  seemed  to  drive  them  mad  outright; 
what  they  imagined  we  meant  by  calling  to  them  I  have  no 
idea;  but  a  broadside  could  not  have  thrown  them  into 
wilder  antics.  They  hopped  on  and  off  the  bulwarks  with 
the  agility  of  monkeys,  slashing  the  air  with  their  cutlasses, 
and  menacing  us  with  boarding-pikes,  pulling  one  another 
off  the  rail  in  their  eagerness  to  shake  their  fists  or  weapons 
at  us,  and  making  such  an  extravagant  uproar  that  you 
might  have  supposed  the  noisiest  denizens  of  one  of  the 
biggest  forests  were  aboard  of  the  brig. 

"  Main-deck,  there !  throw  a  shower  of  grape  over  her 
spars — but  see  that  you  don't  hurt  any  of  the  blacks." 

The  muzzle  of  one  of  the  carronades  was  elevated,  and 
the  piece  discharged;  the  iron  hail  swept  through  the  main- 
topsail,  filled  the  air  with  chips  of  canvas,  and  brought 
down  a  whole  bucketful  of  blocks  and  several  ropes'  ends. 
The  effect  of  this  explosion  was  comical;    the  negroes  who 


292         AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

were  standing  on  the  bulwarks  sprang  head  over  heels 
backward;  there  was  a  universal  ducking  of  black  wool; 
and  above  the  rails  not  a  sign  of  a  human  being  could  be 
seen,  though  through  the  open  gun -port  we  could  spy  the 
black  bodies  of  some  of  the  affrighted  creatures  as  flat  as 
turtles  on  their  stomachs. 

"All  this  may  be  very  funny,"  said  Shelvocke,  looking 
puzzled  and  bothered,  "  but  I  wish  I  had  not  stumbled  upon 
this  adventure.  Common  humanity  won't  suffer  me  to 
leave  these  miserable  savages  floating  wherever  the  winds 
•of  heaven  may  waft  them ;  but  our  boarding  them  will  cost 
us  more  blood  than  I  intend  that  my  men  shall  lose  or  shed. 
See!  nearly  all  the  blacks  are  armed,  and  there  can't  be  less 
than  a  hundred  and  fifty  males.  They  have  evidently  risen 
and  murdered  the  crew,  and  I  know  what  sort  of  spirit  is 
put  into  slaves  who  have  once  tasted  white  men's  blood. 
They'll  fight  like  demons." 

He  took  another  long  squint  at  the  brig. 

"Why,"  he  continued,  "we  should  have  to  massacre  half 
of  them  before  we  could  get  the  rest  under.  See  the  crowds 
of  women  and  children !  It  would  be  sheer  brutal  murder 
to  fire  into  them.     I  cannot  do  it." 

"It  looks  rather  like  a  quandary,"  said  I. 

"A  few  wounds  would  make  fiends  of  the  unhappy 
wretches.  You  don't  know  what  sort  of  foes  kidnapped 
savages  make  after  they  have  successfully  risen  upon  their 
captors.  Besides,  the  kidnappers  themselves  are  destroyed, 
the  vessel  is  no  longer  a  slaver,  and  we  have  no  excuse  to 
attack  her." 

All  this  was  quite  true,  but  what  was  to  be  done? 

"  It  seems  to  me,  sir,  that  either  Ave  must  sweep  her 
decks  with  grape,  or  carry  her,  or  proceed  on  our  course 
and  leave  her  to  her  fate.  I  really  don't  see  what  other 
choice  we  have." 

"I  have  given  you  my  reasons  against  firing  into  her," 
he  answered ;  "  and  I  am  not  at  all  disposed  to  decimate 
my  men  by  an  attempt  to  carry  her.  Leaving  her  to  her 
fate  is  out  of  the  question." 

Then,  thought  I,  what  is  to  be  done? 

"How  came  she  with  that  ragged  foresail?"  I  exclaimed, 
"unless  she  were  in  yesterday's  gale? — if  so,   she  must 


THE  SLAVER.  293 

have  been  tolerably  well  handled,  for  all  her  spars  are 
sound.  Aha!  Massa  Neger's  courage  is  beginning  to  rise 
again,"  I  added,  observing  a  head  like  the  top  of  a  chimney- 
sweep's brush  rise  cautiously  here  and  there  along  the  line 
of  the  brig's  bulwark.  Presently  the  side  of  the  slaver 
pulsated  with  swarms  of  black  pates.  "I  don't  know  any- 
thing that  is  likely  to  bring  them  into  our  way  of  thinking 
but  the  want  of  water,  captain." 

"Ay,  but  who's  going  to  wait  until  their  casks  are 
empty?"  he  answered,  combing  down  his  beard  in  real 
perplexity.  "  Madison,  suppose  you  take  a  boat  and  see  if 
you  can  make  them  understand  you  by  signs." 

No  sooner  said  than  done.  The  second  cutter  was  piped 
away,  and  I  jumped  into  her  along  with  eight  men. 

Just  as  we  shoved  off,  the  wind  puffed  into  a  bright 
crisp  breeze;  the  schooner  bowed  under  it,  and  forged 
ahead  by  twice  her  own  length  before  they  could  shake  the 
wind  out  of  her.  It  was  always  a  difficult  job  to  stop  the 
Tigress,  for  I  have  known  her  to  ratch  with  nothing  on  her 
but  her  standing  jib,  with  the  sheet  over  to  windward.  To 
check  her  slipping  tendency  every  inch  of  canvas  was  taken 
in,  and  she  lay  floating  under  bare  poles. 

Meanwhile  the  brig  was  slowly  drifting  to  leeward  like  a 
collier  in  ballast.  The  moment  the  negroes  saw  the  boat 
approaching  them  their  consternation  and  passion  were 
startling  to  watch.  Their  ceaseless  and  convulsive  move- 
ments as  they  jumped  on  and  rolled  off  the  bulwarks,  the 
perpetual  motion  of  their  dusky  arms  and  legs,  and  the 
intricate  writhings  of  their  naked  bodies  as  they  pressed  to 
the  sides  of  the  brig,  reminded  me  of  an  ant's  nest  stirred 
up  by  a  stick. 

But  the  noise!  the  whooping,  the  yelping,  the  outpour- 
ing of  the  thick  and  throaty  African  accents,  through  two 
hundred  and  fifty  pairs  (as  I  reckoned)  of  blubber  lips  all 
at  once — the  short,  strange,  infuriated  screams,  like  sheaves 
of  a  block  revolving  on  rusty  pins,  of  the  women — and  the 
shrieking  of  the  children,  might  have  made  a  man  suppose 
he  had  lighted  on  a  vessel  full  of  demons  fresh  from  their 
Satanic  port,  and  out  on  an  excursion  after  fugitive  mari- 
ners' souls. 

That  we  might  not  be  left  in  doubt  as  to  the  reception 


294         AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

they  intended  should  we  attempt  to  board  them,  about 
thirty  negroes,  strong,  tall,  and  broad-chested  men,  some 
of  them  stark  naked,  and  others  with  cloths  wrapped  round 
their  loins,  sprang  on  the  bulwarks,  every  one  of  them 
armed  with  a  boarding-pike  which  they  held  poised  in  their 
hands  like  spears,  and  from  time  to  time  essayed  our  dis- 
tance by  letting  drive  one  of  the  pikes  at  us.  Not  only 
their  agility  but  their  strength  was  very  unpleasantly  illus- 
trated by  the  space  they  made  these  heavy  missiles  cover. 
I  doubt  if  there  was  a  man  aboard  the  Tigress  who  could 
have  darted  one  of  these  boarding-pikes  half  the  distance 
they  were  hurled  by  these  limber,  muscular,  glistening 
negroes. 

It  was  certainly  a  most  disagreeably  impressive  scene: 
the  row  of  stalwart,  almost  coal-black  figures  poising  the 
long  pikes,  the  whites  of  their  eyes  gleaming  in  their  inky 
visages,  and  their  ivory  teeth  shining  as  they  yelled  at  us 
with  their  thick,  purple  lips  rounded  into  immense  holes; 
the  surging,  palpitating  surface  of  black  heads  stretching 
astern  of  the  front  guard  of  warriors;  the  vessel  heeling 
over,  and  drifting  fast  to  leeward ;  the  rags  of  her  foresail 
flogging  the  wind;  and  the  ropes'  ends,  which  had  been 
severed  by  our  grape,  blowing  away  beyond  the  masts  like 
serpents. 

We  hung  on  our  oars,  and  I  stood  tip  in  the  stern  sheets 
of  the  boat. 

"  Mind  that  they  haven't  got  a  loaded  musket  among  'em, 
sir,"  sung  out  the  fellow  who  pulled  bow:  "those  niggers 
are  more  artful  than  monkeys." 

I  had  thought  of  that  when  I  stood  up,  and  considered 
what  a  capital  target  I  made  should  some  among  them  know 
how  to  pull  a  trigger.  However,  I  had  to  take  my  chance, 
and  so  I  began  to  gesticulate. 

I  made  all  the  signs  my  imagination  could  invent.  I 
pointed  to  the  schooner,  and  laid  my  hand  on  my  heart  to 
express  our  friendship.  I  pointed  to  their  masts  and  then 
to  the  sky,  and  then  at  the  sea,  to  signify  that  if  a  gale 
arose  they  would  founder.  I  pointed  to  my  throat,  and 
pretended  to  drink  and  eat,  and  pointed  to  their  vessel  and 
shook  my  head,  as  much  as  to  say  when  their  water  and 
food  were  expended  they  must  perish.     I  took  a  cutlass 


"  The  moment  the  negroes  saw  the  boat  approaching  them  their 
consternation  and  passion  were  startling  to  watch." 

— Page  2Q3. 


THE  SLAVER.  295 

from  one  of  the  men,  and  imitated  the  action  of  breaking  it 
across  my  knee,  and  then  held  it  up,  shaking  my  head 
again,  to  denote  that  we  did  not  want  to  fight. 

But  it  was  no  good.  The  more  I  gesticulated  the  more 
they  roared  and  screamed.  Every  motion  of  my  arms  in- 
creased their  rage,  which  grew  so  lively  by  the  time  I  had 
come  to  the  pantomime  of  breaking  the  cutlass,  that  not 
only  were  several  boarding-pikes  launched  at  us,  but  the 
band  of  negroes  in  the  bulwarks  were  dragged  down  to 
make  way  for  their  infuriated  comrades  behind,  and  the 
women  sprang  and  sprawled  about  as  though  executing 
some  religious  dance,  tearing  their  wool,  dashing  their  fists 
toward  us,  and  flinging  their  very  babies  into  the  air  in  the 
paroxysms  of  their  fury. 

"1  wouldn't  mind  making  any  man  a  bet,"  said  the  fel- 
low who  had  cautioned  me  against  exposing  myself,  "  that 
the  poor  devils  think  us  the  crew  of  the  slaver  come  back  to 
take  charge  of  'em  again.  I  have  sailed  among  kidnappers, 
sir,"  said  he,  addressing  me,  "and  reckon  I  know  some- 
thing of  the  hignorance  of  niggers  in  a  savage  state.  They 
can't  tell  one  white  man  from  another,  and  we'd  have  to 
cut  'em  into  bits  afore  they'd  let  us  get  possession  of  the 
brig." 

I  had  shaken  my  head,  and  sawed  with  my  arms,  and 
convulsed  my  body  until  I  was  bathed  in  perspiration  and 
every  bone  in  me  ached;  and  it  at  last  struck  me  rather 
forcibly  that  I  might  gesticulate  my  limbs  off  and  nod  my 
head  overboard  without  producing  the  least  impression 
upon  these  savages.  So  I  stood  staring  at  them,  and  won- 
dering what  was  the  next  card  to  play,  while  they  swarmed 
along  the  sides,  some  on  all  fours,  many  of  them  running  to 
and  fro, — it  was  like  a  number  of  apes  endeavoring  to  get* 
at  you  through  the  bars  of  a  cage. 

"Hand  me  over  that  musket,"  said  I,  wishing  to  try  the 
effect  of  another  explosion.  I  pointed  the  piece  at  them 
and  kept  it  in  that  position,  but  they  did  not  show  the  least 
alarm,  and  1  am  persuaded  that  none  of  the  poor  creatures 
had  any  knowledge  of  the  character  of  the  weapon  that  was 
aimed  at  them.  But  the  moment  the  musket  was  dis- 
charged (I  fired  over  their  heads),  down  the  whole  mass  of 
them  toppled  as  if  they  had  all  been  shot  dead.     It  would 


296  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

have  taken  months  to  drill  a  company  of  white  men  into 
such  celerity  and  concurrence  of  action;  the  black  crowd 
vanished  like  smoke  before  a  sudden  blast  of  wind,  not  a 
sound  came  from  the  vessel,  and  she  appeared  utterly 
deserted. 

Hardly  had  the  small  white  puff  from  the  musket  blown 
a  dozen  fathoms  away,  when,  as  though  some  distant  moun- 
tain had  echoed  the  report,  the  sharp  crack  of  a  small-arm 
came  down  to  us  upon  the  wind;  and  looking  toward  the 
schooner,  that  had  managed  to  drift  half  a  mile  away  from 
us,  I  noticed  a  signal  flying  for  our  recall. 

Before  the  men  could  ship  their  oars,  a  gun  was  fired. 

"That  means  urgency.  Give  way,  men!"  I  sung  out; 
the  oars  groaned  in  the  thole-pins,  and  the  foam  flew  scat- 
tering past  us.  What  the  matter  was  I  could  not  guess, 
but  as  I  watched  the  Tigress  I  could  hear  the  piping  of  the 
boatswain's  whistle,  and  sail  was  made  with  a  rapidity  that 
was  strong  evidence  of  danger  being  at  hand. 

We  dashed  alongside  and  sprang  aboard ;  the  boat  was 
hooked  on  and  run  up.  Shelvocke  stood  to  windward,  and 
answered  the  inquiring  look  I  gave  him  by  pointing  to  the 
horizon  on  the  weather-quarter,  where  I  immediately  beheld 
the  canvas  of  what  was  apparently  a  large,  full-rigged  ship. 
I  levelled  the  glass  at  her,  and  at  once  saw  by  the  spread 
and  hoist  of  her  sails  that  she  was  a  war-vessel;  but  her 
hull  was  still  below  water,  and  it  was  impossible  to  form 
an  opinion  of  her  nationality. 

"I  can  make  nothing  of  those  negroes,  sir,"  said  I  to 
Shelvocke.  "  Either  they  don't  or  they  won't  understand 
signs." 

"So  I  judged  :  but  what  made  you  fire  at  them?" 

••  I  fired  over  them,  sir.  I  wished  to  try  the  effect  of 
another  explosion ;  thinking  that  as  noise  appeared  to  ter- 
rify them  more  than  anything  else,  we  might  manage  to 
get  at  them  by  running  the  schooner  close,  letting  fly  a 
blank  broadside,  and  pouring  in  upon  them  while  they  lay 
flat  upon  their  bellies." 

"That  might  have  answered,"  said  he:  "but  let  us  see 
what  yonder  vessel  is  going  to  prove  before  we  trouble  our 
heads  any  further  with  tho.se  niggers." 

Every  stitch  of  fore-and-aft  canvas  that  the  Tigress  car- 


THE   SLATER.  297 

ried  had  been  piled  upon  her,  but  her  way  was  checked  by 
her  helm  being  kept  down ;  by  this  means  we  drifted  suffi- 
ciently to  leeward  to  maintain  to  some  extent  our  position 
with  regard  to  the  slaver. 

The  negroes  had  regained  their  courage  on  finding  that 
our  boat  had  left  their  neighborhood,  and  once  more  clus- 
tered along  the  sides  of  the  brig,  and  I  fancy  by  the  char- 
acter of  their  whooping,  and  the  extraordinary  postures 
into  which  they  flung  themselves,  that  they  were  not  only 
defying  us,  but  exulting  over  their  imaginary  victory.  Of 
all  striking  objects  nothing  that  ever  I  saw  exceeded  that 
brig  as  she  lay,  slightly  heeling  away  from  us.  with  the 
dark  green  water  lapping  and  creaming  against  her  black 
hull,  the  upper  line  of  which  was  alive  with  the  crawling, 
leaping,  motioning,  and  dancing  figures  of  her  sable  freight, 
whose  black  skins  were  startlingly  relieved  by  the  constant 
glittering  of  the  cutlasses  in  their  hands. 

However,  I  had  not  just  now  much  leisure  to  admire  ef- 
fects of  this  description ;  my  attention  was  quickly  absorbed 
by  the  vessel  to  windward,  who,  as  she  drew  up  out  of  the 
water  with  a  rapidity  that  betokened  nimble  heels,  disclosed 
the  broad,  long,  and  solid  hull  of  a  large  frigate  or  sloop- 
of-war,  with  short  but  tremendously  broad  courses,  and 
unusually  tall  topsails.  She  was  swirling  down  upon  us 
under  a  heavy  press  of  canvas,  with  topgallant,  topmast, 
and  lower  studding-sails  out,  and  her  sails  shone  like  cotton. 

Shelvocke  and  I  kept  our  glasses  fixed  upon  her,  and  I 
was  noticing  the  white  line  of  hammocks  along  her  side, 
and  the  beautiful  set  of  her  canvas,  and  her  short  royal- 
mastheads,  and,  indeed,  beginning  to  view  her  with  seri- 
ous misgiving — finding  something  new  and  unusual  in  the 
aspect" of  her — when  Shelvocke  dropped  his  glass,-  and  ex- 
claimed quickly,  but  in  a  collected  voice : 

'•  Jonathan !  I  suspected  him  from  the  first,  I  am  sure 
now.  Mr.  Tapping,  get  the  American  flag  out.  and  Ik  - 
it  at  the  peak." 

The  stripes  and  stars  were  run  up.  We  watched  to  see 
if  he  would  answer.  A  couple  of  minutes  elapsed,  and 
then  I  saw  a  tiny  black  ball  creep  like  a  fly  up  to  the  main 
royal-masthead,  until  it  was  hard  against  the  truck,  when 
it  broke  into  the  bright  and  beautiful  American  flag. 


298         AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

"  I  am  right,  Madison,  you  see, "  exclaimed  Shelvocke. 

"  Shall  you  fight  her,  sir?" 

"Fight  her!"  he  answered,  laughing:  "do  you  know 
that  she  may  prove  the  Constitution,  or  the  Hornet,  or, 
worse  still,  the  President?  one  of  those  vessels  I'll  swear 
she  is;  in  which  case  she  will  be  carrying  over  fifty  guns 
and  four  hundred  men.  Fight  her!  what  would  you 
advise?" 

"  Who,  sir,  after  our  action  with  the  Diane " 

"Ay,  but  that  ship  is  not  the  Diane — cannot  you  see 
that?"  he  interrupted,  watching  the  approaching  vessel  all 
the  time  he  was  talking :  "  and  worse  luck  still,  she  is  a 
Yankee." 

A  big  ship  she  undoubtedly  was,  though,  as  she  ap- 
proached us  stem  on,  I  could  only  form  my  judgment  of 
her  size  by  the  height  of  her  masts,  and  the  enormous  spread 
of  her  canvas. 

"Now,  I'll  make  the  slaver  serve  our  turn,"  cried  Shel- 
vocke. "Helm  there!  keep  her  full — let  her  go!"  he 
shouted. 

The  helm  was  starboarded,  the  canvas  rounded,  and  with 
the  muzzles  of  her  lee  guns  trailing  through  the  passing 
foam,  the  Tigress  snored  through  the  water.  In  spite  of 
his  flag  at  our  peak,  however,  Joanathan  instantly  twigged 
us  by  this  manoeuvre.  His  studding-sails  melted  away  from 
his  weather  yardarms  like  summer  clouds  upon  the  blue 
sky ;  in  a  few  moments  he  was  braced  up  on  the  starboard 
tack,  bowlines  hauled  out,  main-tack  boarded,  a  whole 
flight  of  flat  staysails  between  his  masts;  and  as  he  swept 
round  in  pursuit  of  us,  with  the  water  smoking  over  his 
forecastle  as  he  met  the  first  of  the  sea,  and  his  long,  low, 
heavy  black  hull  sliding  like  a  water-snake  along  the  bed 
of  glittering  froth  churned  up  by  his  shapely  bows,  he  let 
fly  three  guns  at  us. 

"That  shows  you  his  calibre!"  exclaimed  Shelvocke,  as 
the  shot  spurted  up  the  water  in  three  jets  of  foam  within 
a  few  cables'  length  of  our  quarter.  "Aim  higher,  old 
Doodle,  next  time,  and  look  alive,  or  you'll  lose  our  scent. 
Now,  little  Tigress,  show  them  your  metal,  sweetheart!  Mr. 
Tapping,  haul  down  that  flag,  and  exhibit  English  colors." 

Then  after  a  pause:  "Are  you  ready?" 


THE  SLAVER.  299 

"All  ready,  sir." 

"Then  hoist  away!"  and  as  our  own  glorious  bunting 
soared  to  the  peak  we  slapped  our  two  aftermost  broadside 
long  guns  at  the  enemy. 

"iSTow  let  us  mind  our  eye!"  shouted  Shelvocke,  flushed 
with  the  excitement  of  the  pursuit;  and  sure  enough,  and 
as  though  our  guns  had  aggravated  the  insult  of  our  flag 
beyond  Jonathan's  endurance,  he  put  his  helm  down,  and 
as  he  brought  his  broadside  to  bear,  the  long  black  hull 
flashed  into  a  blinding  blaze,  as  though  the  whole  ship  had 
blown  up ;  a  dense  volume  of  white  smoke  hid  him ;  the 
sea  was  lashed  into  a  fury  of  foam  at  precisely  the  same 
distance  from  the  schooner  where  the  first  shots  had  fallen, 
and  at  the  same  moment  a  dull  thud  trembled  through  our 
vessel,  as  though  she  had  grounded  an  instant  on  a  shoal. 

"Hulled,  by  Jupiter!"  said  Shelvocke;  "confound  him, 
what  metal  the  villain  carries!" 

Heavy,  indeed!  and  the  worst  of  it  was,  he  was  out  of 
range  of  our  guns,  so  that  it  would  have  been  merely  wast- 
ing powder  to  answer  him. 

"I  hope  that  confounded  slaver  hasn't  brought  us  into  a 
mess!"  thought  I;  and  as  I  watched  the  towering  canvas 
and  black  hull  of  the  heavy  ship  tearing  through  the  water 
and  curling  out  a  high  green  wave  that  broke  into  foam 
abreast  of  the  foremast,  and  swept  aft  to  form  the  long 
wake  that  glittered  like  a  silver  ribbon  upon  the  tremulous 
green  seas  astern  of  her,  dismal  fancies  of  American  jails, 
Yankee  hectoring,  and  an  abrupt  wind-up  of  our  roving 
holiday  crowded  my  mind,  and  I  thought  that  Shelvocke 
had  shown  want  of  judgment  in  suffering  the  Yankee  to 
draw  so  close  to  us  before  he  gave  his  schooner  the  reins. 

Assuredly  if  the  big  enemy  only  managed  to  vying  us,  our 
game  would  be  up;  against  a  big  ship  with  twenty-four 
ports  of  a  side — they  could  be  counted  now — her  tops  full 
of  men,  and  her  decks  bristling  with  marines,  the  Tigress 
would  be  able  to  make  but  a  very  short  stand  indeed. 
Moreover,  in  Jonathan  we  had  a  smart  sailor  to  cope  with ; 
not  a  Frenchman  who  could  not  put  his  helm  down  without 
missing  stays,  but  a  shrewd,  bold,  and  determined  seaman, 
who  not  only  knew  what  a  ship  can  do,  but  had  skill 
enough  to  make  her  do  it. 


300  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

This  particular  Jonathan  was  sailing  his  ship  magnifi- 
cently :  intent  on  holding  the  weather-gage,  and  yet  never 
choking  her;  making  every  shred  of  canvas  do  its  work; 
marking  the  distance  of  his  luff  to  fire  at  us,  with  an  ex- 
pertness  that  scarcely  lost  him  a  fathom  of  way.  Indeed, 
I  never  remember  a  ship  better  sailed;  and  when  I  saw 
how  purely  British  was  the  science  of  her  handling,  and 
considered  that  her  people  were  talking  and  speculating 
about  us  in  our  own  language,  that  in  all  probability  there 
were  men  bearing  our  own  names  aboard  of  her — Shel- 
vockes,  Madisons,  Peacocks,  and  a  host  of  Smiths,  and 
Browns,  and  Johnsons,  as  any  man  might  warrant — and  that 
our  own  blood  circulated  in  their  veins,  it  seemed  difficult 
to  conceive  that  she  was  a  bitter  enemy,  chasing  us  merely 
and  solely  to  capture  or  destroy  us ;  difficult,  I  say,  until — 
pouff !  the  glare  of  a  broadside,  and  the  lashing  into  foam  of 
a  small  circumference  of  sea,  dispelled  these  peaceful  fan- 
cies, and  made  me  wish  these  relations  of  ours  at  the  devil. 

She  had  started  after  us  when  she  was  about  a  league  to 
windward  on  our  quarter;  for  some  time  she  held  her  posi- 
tion, and  there  was  a  moment  when  my  faith  in  the  Tigress 
abandoned  me.  "  She  has  more  than  her  match  yonder, 
both  in  weight  and  bottom,"  I  thought,  and  my  heart  felt 
as  heavy  as  a  deep-sea  lead  in  my  breast.  Ay,  it  was  gall- 
ing to  me  to  a  degree  beyond  the  power  of  any  landsman's 
sympathy  to  compass,  to  imagine  that  our  beautiful  schooner 
— she  to  whose  lovely  lines  and  surpassing  heels  my  faith 
was  as  purely  committed  as  a  lover's  to  the  honor  of  his 
sweetheart — was  going  to  be  outsailed  by  a  big,  square- 
rigged  man-of-war. 

I  glanced  at  Shelvocke.  He  was  lighting  a  cigar,  lean- 
ing against  the  bulwark  with  his  back  turned  upon  the 
Yankee,  in  the  easy  attitude  of  a  yachtsman  enjoying  a 
pleasant  cruise. 

"Is  she  not  fore-reaching  on  us,  sir?"  I  exclaimed. 

"Fore-reaching!"  he  replied,  with  a  contemptuous  laugh. 
"  Did  you  ever  see  an  old  woman  make  sail  in  a  chase  of  a 
bad  boy?" 

"I  hardly  remember.  But  if  the  old  woman  had  her 
agility,"  nodding  toward  the  Yankee,  "I  should  not  like  to 
lay  many  dollars  on  the  bad  boy's  chance." 


THE  SLAVER.  30 1 

"Ay,  but  it  is  not  all  heels,  my  friend.  Where's  your 
staying  power?  The  old  woman  may  have  the  longer  legs, 
but  the  boy  has  the  lungs.  But  this  is  an  illustration  that 
will  not  serve  my  views  so  patly  as  the  fellow's  paternity. 
If  he  be  the  true  Doodle  I  reckon  him,  his  thoughts  are 
with  the  brig  astern  and  he  draws  a  lengthening  chain 
as  he  goes,  the  end  of  which  will  bring  him  up  presently 
with  a  round  turn.  The  imagination  cannot  figure  the 
prodigious  squint  with  which  the  commander  of  that  ship 
surveys  us — one  eye  on  the  Tigress,  and  t'other  on  the 
slaver." 

But  the  truth  is,  Sheivocke'  s  keen  eyes  had  noticed  what 
was  not  yet  apparent  to  me,  sharply  as  I  watched:  the 
schooner  was  drawing  ahead  of  the  American,  slowly,  in- 
deed, for  the  enemy  was  not  only  an  exceedingly  fast  ship, 
but  she  had  a  direct  advantage  over  us  in  having  a  long 
weather-gage  that  enabled  her  captain  to  keep  her  chock  full, 
and  force  us  out  of  that  close  luff  which  would  have  thrown 
half  her  canvas  aback  had  she  attempted  to  imitate  it. 

About  once  a  minute  they  let  drive  at  us  with  one  of 
their  long  thirty-two-pound  guns,  and  it  was  the  widening 
distances  between  the  fall  of  these  shots  that  at  last  unmis- 
takably marked  the  superiority  of  our  heels. 

By  this  time  the  slaver  was  a  mere  dot  upon  the  far  ho- 
rizon, and  I  had  put  down  the  glass  after  looking  to  see  if 
the  negroes  had  sense  enough  to  take  advantage  of  their 
being  left  alone,  when  Jonathan  suddenly  hauled  up  his 
mainsail,  and  let  fly  his  head-sheets. 

"There  he  goes!"  shouted  Sheivocke. 

She  rounded  on  her  heel  like  a  woman  waltzing;  .and 
with  a  woman's  spite,  too,  she  gave  us  her  parting  blessing 
in  the  shape  of  her  whole  broadside  as  she  swept  into  the 
wind;  the  storm  of  iron  fell  a  long  way  short.  In  another 
minute  she  was  on  the  port  tack,  showing  us  a  back  view 
of  herself — the  most  elegant  part  of  her  hull  she  could  have 
submitted  to  people  in  our  state  of  mind — and  foaming 
through  the  water  under  royals  and  boarded  tacks  toward 
the  distant  and  just  visible  slave  brig. 

"Luff  you  may,  now!"  sung  out  Sheivocke,  and  the 
helmsman  brought  the  schooner  close  to  the  wind.  "A 
really  lucky  escape,  Madison,  and  I  give  you  my  word  I  do 


302         AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

not  believe  there  is  another  vessel  belonging  to  an  English 
port  that  could  have  shaken  off  that  fellow  as  we  have." 

"  I  wish  him  joy  of  the  brig,  sir.  Those  niggers  will 
avenge  us." 

"  Oh,  he'll  not  treat  them  so  fastidiously  as  we  have. 
The  nigger  is  only  a  man  in  the  United  States — not  yet  a 
brudder— and  if  Jonathan  can  secure  a  hundred  of  them  by 
massacring  a  hundred  and  fifty,  he'll  reckon  the  bagging 
quite  worth  the  cost  of  the  powder.  However,  I  am  very 
happy  that  he  should  have  taken  so  perplexing  and  un- 
pleasant a  job  out  of  my  hands." 

He  jumped  into  one  of  the  boats  which  swung  at  the 
davits,  and  examined  the  schooner's  side.  Only  one  shot 
had  struck  the  vessel,  about  a  foot  below  the  aftermost 
broadside  gun-port;  it  had  torn  a  thin  strip  of  wood  out, 
but  the  extent  of  the  injury  was  limited  to  this  very  trifling 
defacement.  The  carpenter  was  sent  for,  and  went  to 
work  to  solder  the  wound ;  and  performed  his  business  so 
skilfully,  that  when,  some  time  afterward,  I  looked  over 
the  side,  I  could  not  detect  the  spot  where  the  ball  had  hit 
us. 

We  had  run  the  slaver  out  of  sight,  the  hull  of  the  Yan- 
kee was  low  upon  the  water,  and  distance  was  giving  an 
exquisite  daintiness  to  the  color  and  outline  of  her  canvas; 
the  broad  and  speckless  ocean,  with  the  morning  sunshine 
streaming  gloriously  upon  it,  lay  stretched  before  us;  and 
last,  and  not  least,  it  was  half-past  eight,  and  time  for 
breakfast. 

As  I  put  my  foot  upon  the  companion-steps,  I  thought  of 
poor  young  Peacock  lying  dead  below.  Alas!  how  easily 
is  the  saddest  memory  deposed!  I  had  not  given  the  poor 
dead  boy  a  thought  since  I  had  been  on  deck. 

Chestree  and  I  took  our  seats  at  the  table  in  silence,  and 
in  a  few  moments  Shelvocke  came  out  of  his  cabin.  De- 
pressed as  I  was  by  the  sense  of  the  proximity  of  the 
crushed  and  broken  remains  of  a  youth  who,  only  a  few 
short  hours  ago,  was  one  of  God's  fairest  creations,  full  of 
life  and  hope  and  the  generous  ambitions  of  manly  boy- 
hood, yet  such  was  the  hang-jaw  and  yellow  lugubriousness 
of  Chestree' s  face,  as  he  gazed  fixedly  with  lustreless  eyes 
at  Shelvocke,  that,  after  the  first  glance  at  him,  I  did  not 


THE  SLAVER.  303 

dare  look  again  for  fear  of  forgetting  myelf  in  a  burst  of 
laughter.  I  am  sure  the  poor  fellow  felt  Peacock's  death 
acutely,  as  being,  however  innocently,  concerned  in  the 
cause  of  it ;  but  it  was  impossible  that  his  distress  could  be 
half  as  acute  as  his  dismal  face  depressed.  The  most  hol- 
low-cheeked mute  that  ever  wept  on  the  way  to  the  grave, 
and  got  drunk  on  the  way  home  again,  never  excelled  Ches- 
tree's  countenance  of  mourning  on  this  occasion. 

However,  he  made  shift  to  stow  away  a  large  breakfast, 
though  he  looked  as  if  he  must  burst  into  tears  every  time 
he  drew  his  fork  out  of  his  mouth. 

I  was  almost  pained  by  the  severity  of  the  grip  Shel- 
vocke  had  taken  of  himself.  He  could  not  keep  his  grief 
wholly  out  of  his  face,  but  whether  it  was  that  he  was 
ashamed  to  have  manifested  so  much  emotion  before  me  in 
the  night,  or  that  he  was  resolved  to  conquer  his  new 
trouble,  and  to  clear  out  of  his  heart  every  memory  of  a 
painful  and  unhallowed  romance,  he  talked  pleasantly,  and 
at  times  even  gayly,  laughed  over  our  experience  of  the 
slaver  and  Jonathan's  discomfiture,  and  as  greatly  aston- 
ished Chestree  by  his  apparent  light-heartedness  as  he  had 
before  astounded  the  poor  man  when  he  called  him  Pea- 
cock's murderer. 

Yet  in  spite  of  his  manner — and  he  certainly  carried  it 
admirably — I  was  sure,  by  the  look  of  him,  that  it  would 
have  done  him  good  to  talk  of  his  dead  boy,  and  hear  us 
bemoan  him.  Why  any  man  should  take  the  trouble  to 
suppress  or  conceal  emotions  of  which  only  a  swab  could 
feel  ashamed,  I  do  not  understand.  What  sort  of  pride  or 
conceit  is  that,  I  wonder,  which  makes  a  man  fancy  that 
dignity  is  best  asserted  by  a  wooden  face?  I  admired 
Shelvocke's  self-control  as  a  piece  of  acting,  but  I  did  not 
think  him  the  better  man  for  doing  well  what  any  provin- 
cial tragedy  actor  for  half  a  guinea  would  have  undertaken 
to  do  better. 

Before  going  to  my  berth  to  get  some  rest  during  my 
watch  below,  I  went  on  deck  and  had  a  look  around  me. 
The  Yankee  was  out  of  sight  astern,  the  wind  had  fresh- 
ened into  a  glorious  sailing  breeze,  and  the  brightest,  gay- 
est morning  that  had  broken  upon  us  since  we  quitted 
English  waters  was  beaming  over  us.     The  heavens  were 


304:  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

full  of  steady-sailing  clouds,  blowing  like  puffs  of  steam, 
athwart  us  from  the  northeast;  and  the  schooner  was 
sweeping  magnificently  along  the  sparkling  blue  surges, 
with  her  hull  careened  by  the  warm  strong  wind  to  an 
angle  that  scarcely  varied  to  the  extent  of  a  degree,  so  con- 
stant and  uniform  was  the  pressure.  I  stood  for  some  min- 
utes admiring  the  sand-white  decks  and  the  groups  of  men 
at  work  on  different  jobs  in  various  parts  of  the  vessel,  and 
the  joyous  scene  of  foaming  waters,  out  of  which  from  time 
to  time  there  would  leap  a  swarm  of  flying-fish  sparkling 
out  from  the  dark-green  arch  of  a  wave,  and  scattering  as 
they  flew  like  a  handful  of  brand-new  silver  dollars  flung 
broadcast  into  the  water ;  and  then  observing  Chestree  to 
be  looking  at  me  earnestly  as  though  he  meditated  a  con- 
versation, I  sidled  to  the  companion,  gained  my  berth,  top- 
pled into  the  bunk,  and  went  to  sleep. 

I  was  awakened  by  Shelvocke,  whose  presence  in  my 
berth  was  so  unusual  that  I  stared  to  see  him. 

"  It  is  close  upon  eight  bells, "  said  he,  "  so  I  have  not 
defrauded  you  of  any  rest.  I  wish  you  to  oblige  me.  Pea- 
cock will  be  buried  at  noon :  I  have  given  directions  for  all 
hands  to  attend;  for  as  one  of  my  officers — and  on  that 
account  mainly — all  honor  must  be  done  his  remains.  I 
have  to  ask  you  to  read  the  service.  I  am  capable  of  some 
self-control,  as  no  doubt  you  have  remarked ;  but  this  is  a 
tax  which,  if  I  know  my  strength,  I  ought  not  to  impose  on 
myself." 

His  voice  had  slightly  faltered  when  he  mentioned  the 
lad's  name,  but  he  immediately  mastered  it. 

"I  shall  be  happy  to  do  what  you  wish,  sir,"  I  replied. 

"  I  have  not  shown  myself  on  deck  since  breakfast-time," 
he  continued,  "  expressly  that  my  absence  from  this  cere- 
mony may  be  explained  by  you  to  the  men  as  owing  to  my 
indisposition.     I  do  not  wish  to  set  them  wondering." 

I  bowed.  He  seemed  to  have  more  to  say,  but  a  sudden 
rush  of  grief,  that  tossed  his  will  aside  as  a  current  bursts 
through  a  barrier,  darkened  his  face ;  he  seized  and  pressed 
my  hand,  and  went  hastily  to  his  own  cabin. 

The  order  had  already  gone  forth,  for  when  I  reached 
the  deck  the  boatswain's  pipe  mingled  with  the  strokes  of 
the  "  bell  eight, "  and  one  by  one  the  men,  dressed  as  on 


THE  SLAVER.  305 

Sundays,  came  out  of  the  hatchway  and  formed  themselves 
in  lines  on  either  side  of  the  gangway.  After  a  few  min- 
utes the  body,  stitched  in  the  hammock  in  which  it  had 
swung  in  life,  with  a  twenty-four-pound  shot  lashed  to  the 
clews  of  it,  was  reverently  handed  through  the  companion, 
placed  on  a  grating,  and  covered  with  the  English  ensign. 
Four  of  the  boys  of  the  ship's  company  then  raised  the 
grating,  and  stood  with  it  at  the  gangway. 

Although  I  do  not  claim  more  pathos  for  a  funeral  at  sea 
than  one  ashore,  yet  one  feature  there  is  at  sea  that  makes 
a  burial  there  more  solemn  than  1  have  found  it  elsewhere; 
and  that  is  the  crowd  of  silent  seamen  who  are  grouped 
around  the  body  and  behold  the  launching  of  their  dead 
shipmate  into  the  ocean,  whose  mightiness  makes  it  a  fit 
symbol  of  eternity.  Otherwise  I  do  not  think  a  funeral  at 
sea  more  affecting  than  that  ceremony  ashore.  You  have 
certain  elements  of  horror  ashore  which  do  not  enter  into 
our  service:  the  churchyard  weeds,  crazy  and  crumbling 
old  stones,  a  swarm  of  persons  (such  as  the  undertaker's 
men),  who  attend  as  a  matter  of  business  or  curiosity,  the 
ugly  hearse,  and,  above  all,  the  dark  new  grave,  with  its 
mound  of  freshly  turned  soil  alongside  of  it,  amid  which 
the  attentive  eye  may  often  view  the  wriggling  worm. 

We  are  spared  all  this  at  sea :  our  grave  is  the  eternal 
and  boundless  deep — our  hearse  is  a  grating  or  a  board — our 
coffin  the  white  hammock;  no  hired  mourners  in  rusty 
black  and  spirituous  tears  surround  our  poor  remains  —no 
parish-clerk  dodges  us  into  the  very  Valley  of  the  Shadow 
of  Death  for  fees;  we  are  plunged  into  the  heart  of  that 
ocean  whose  breast  has  often  rocked  us,  the  whole  deep  is 
our  grave  in  perpetuity,  and  our  heirs  have  nothing  to  pay 
for  our  spacious  rights. 

Short  as  had  been  young  Peacock's  association  with  the 
men,  they  had  got  to  like  him  as  a  kindly  hearted  boy  who 
was  always  willing  to  do  an  obliging  act,  who  was  always 
blind  to  little  harmless  defects  of  duty;  and  besides,  they 
were  drawn  to  him  by  his  remarkable  beauty.  The  feeling 
was  that  a  kind,  brave,  and  handsome  young  officer  had 
met  with  a  cruelly  sudden  and  dreadful  death;  that  a 
familiar  face  was  missing;  that  ifrwas  a  pity — a  great  pity; 
and  the  quid  stood  out  high  in  many  a  bronzed  cheek,  and 
20 


306  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

there  was  a  heap  of  rough  and  homely  moralizing  at  work 
in  the  eyes  dwelling  upon  the  outline  marked  by  the  full 
hammock  on  the  graceful  folds  of  bunting  which  covered 
the  grating. 

Yet  how  different  the  scene  from  the  shore-going  church- 
yard theatre  of  man's  last  performance  in  this  world! 
There  was  nothing  here  to  make  death  dreadful.  The  sun- 
shine was  bright  in  the  hollows  and  foaming  crests  of  the 
speeding  surges;  the  strong,  glad  wind  swept  through  the 
rigging  like  a  spirit-hand  upon  a  harp,  and  the  taut  hemp 
rang  out  merry  tunes;  now  and  again  a  flake  of  foam  would 
sweep  like  a  handful  of  snow  over  the  forecastle  and  glitter 
frostily  for  a  few  seconds ;  and  life,  deep,  full,  and  abound- 
ing, was  suggested  to  every  sense  by  the  rushing  motion  of 
the  fabric  on  which  we  stood,  by  the  sound  of  the  hoarse 
pouring  of  froth  forward,  and  by  the  steady  streaming  of 
the  strong  breeze  out  of  the  white  and  gleaming  concavities 
of  the  spacious  sails. 

I  stood  close  to  the  body,  prayer-book  in  hand ;  and 
alongside  of  me  was  Chestree,  with  his  dismal  face  hanging 
down,  and  close  behind  stood  Tapping.  On  the  other  side 
of  the  grating  were  the  boatswain,  the  gunner,  and  the 
carpenter;  and  the  men,  with  their  faces  turned  to  the 
gangway,  filled  the  decks  down  to  the  bulwarks,  and  from 
the  companion  to  the  main-hatch. 

I  am  partial,  of  course:  as  we  grow  old  we  look  back 
upon  the  past,  and  find  that  everything  then  was  better 
than  it  is  now — the  men  taller  and  handsomer,  the  women 
prettier  and  more  honest,  sailors  and  soldiers  braver,  relig- 
ion a  deeper  sentiment,  our  country  more  feared  and  ad- 
mired by  the  world,  and  so  on.  I  do  not  myself  share  in 
such  prejudices :  he  must  be  a  stupid  old  man  who  judges 
of  the  excellence  of  things  by  his  capacity  of  enjoying 
them,  as  if  the  most  aged  swab  now  living  would  not  find 
as  many  fine  things  flourishing  to-day  as  there  were  four- 
score years  ago,  if  he  only  had  the  eyes,  ears,  and  appetite 
of  four-score  years  ago  to  bring  to  the  banquet;  but  this  I 
will  say,  that  remembering  the  ninety  men  who  stood  along 
the  deck  of  the  Tigress  when  we  buried  Peacock,  I  do  hon- 
estly doubt  whether  the  present  age  could  match  me  such 
another  ship's  company — such  a  set  of  seamen  of  the  old, 


THE  SLAVES.  30? 

salt,  hearty,  busby-whiskered,  manly  type — so  active,  so 
sagacious,  so  determined.  But  let  me  remember  the  period. 
It  was  a  time  that  had  produced  the  noblest  set  of  seamen 
our  nation  of  sailors  had  ever  given  birth  to.  As,  after  a 
long  succession  of  gales,  you  will  find  the  sea-shore  strewn 
with  beautifully  polished  stones  wrought  to  that  perfection 
by  the  turbulent  seas,  so  the  wars  this  country  had  been 
engaged  in  had  culminated,  in  the  period  I  am  writing  of, 
in  the  production  of  as  perfect  a  race  of  tars  as  ever  walked 
the  decks  of  English  ships.  That  we  shall  never  see  such 
men  at  sea  again  I  do  not  say ;  but  it  must  cost  as  many 
years  not  only  of  hard  but  successful  fighting  to  produce 
the  like  of  them. 

The  ceremony  was  soon  over.  I  briefly  explained  to  the 
men  the  reason  of  the  captain's  absence,  as  he  desired  me; 
and  when  I  began  to  read  the  Office,  the  flag  was  hoisted 
half-mast  high  at  the  peak,  the  end  of  the  grating  was 
placed  upon  the  bulwark,  and  one  of  the  bearers  stood  by 
to  snatch  off  the  ensign.  The  signal  was  given,  the  grat- 
ing tilted,  and  the  hammock  sped  from  the  side  and  clove 
the  green  water;  at  the  same  moment  a  gun  was  fired,  the 
flag  lowered,  the  white  powder-smoke  blew  across  the  deck 
and  fled  in  a  compact,  gleaming  cloud  across  the  sea;  the 
boatswain  tuned  his  pipe,  the  crowd  of  seamen  broke  up, 
and  in  a  few  moments  the  decks  resumed  their  usual  aspect. 

When  I  went  below,  Shelvocke  called  me  to  his  cabin 
and  in  simple  words  thanked  me  for  discharging  the  duty 
he  had  put  upon  me;  and  there  the  subject  dropped,  nor 
did  he  ever  again  mention  the  name  of  Peacock,  nor  in  the 
most  distant  manner  allude  to  him  during  the  short  time  I 
afterward  remained  in  the  Tigress.  He  took  charge  of  the 
boy's  effects,  which  were  brought  to  him  by  the  steward 
shortly  after  the  funeral ;  and  I  cannot  but  suspect  that  he 
came  across  something  belonging  to  the  poor  felloAv  that 
moved  him  particularly,  for  he  remained  in  his  cabin  all 
the  afternoon,  leaving  Chestree  and  me  to  eat  our  dinner 
alone;  and  when  he  came  on  deck  a  little  before  sunset,  he 
looked  sorrowful  and  worn,  much  more  so  than  he  probably 
supposed,  or  I  questioned  whether  he  would  have  shown  him- 
self by  daylight. 

And  now,  before  I  close  this  little  incident  of  our  cruise, 


308  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

I  should  like  to  ask  what  is  a  man  to  think  of  such  a  story 
as  both  Shelvocke  and  Peacock  related?  Is  it  reasonable 
to  believe  that  spirits  do  appear  to  men,  or  shall  we  explain 
the  declarations  which  people  have  made,  and  solemnly 
and  credibly  made,  of  having  beheld  such  apparitions,  by 
assuming  the  possibility  of  an  imagination  powerful  enough 
to  dupe  the  reason  by  its  fancies?  Fortunately,  it  is  a 
matter  of  no  great  consequence  to  human  happiness,  though 
I  will  not  deny  that  such  beliefs  make  life  picturesque,  and 
have  even  served  directly  useful  ends,  as,  for  instance, 
where  an  apparition  has  stopped  a  man  from  committing  a 
robbery,  and,  better  still,  where  a  voice  has  caused  a 
would-be  murderer  to  take  to  his  heels.  Be  this  as  it  may, 
my  log-book  contains  Peacock's  story,  and  I  have  spun  the 
yarn  truthfully,  and  shall  not  attempt  to  make  more  of  it. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

A    SMART    ENGAGEMENT. 

Monday  (such  and  such  a  day),  1812 ;  latitude  24°  2 ' 
N. ;  longitude  54°  17  '  W. 

The  day  had  broken  beautifully  bright  and  clear  upon  an 
ocean  stretching  like  a  swelling  sheet  of  quicksilver  to  the 
sharply  lined  horizon.  The  wind  that  had  carried  us  to 
this  point  had  suddenly  failed  us;  but  we  hoped  it  was 
coming  again,  when,  shortly  after  the  sun  had  risen,  the 
sea  away  to  the  north  darkened  into  a  deep  and  lovely  blue 
under  a  glorious  breeze,  the  hoarse  and  rushing  sound  of 
which  we  could  hear  long  before  it  struck  us.  It  held  for 
an  hour,  driving  us  smoking  through  the  water;  then,  to 
our  deep  disgust,  hauled  round  to  the  westward,  and  blew 
spitefully  straight  down  the  course  we  were  heading. 
Worse  still,  it  worked  up  a  hazy  atmosphere  that  narrowed 
the  horizon  with  a  driving  mist  that  put  me  in  mind  of 
the  North  Sea  in  November,  only  the  vapor  was  so  exceed- 
ingly close  and  muggy,  that  by  shutting  your  eyes  you 
would  have  imagined  you  were  passing  through  the  steam 
of  a  hot  tank. 

"  One  almost  seems  to  taste  the  presence  of  Yellow 
Jack,  even  at  this  distance  from  his  home,"  said  Shel- 
vocke,  sniffling  and  snuffling  and  wiping  the  humidity  from 
his  face. 

He  had  once  spoken  of  the  Yellow  Jack  when  talking  of 
Madeline  Palmer,  and  I  suppose  the  mention  of  the  subject 
recalled  her  to  me.  Strange,  how  widely  different  are  the 
thoughts  which  chase  each  other  through  the  mind !  I  was 
surprised  to  find  how  vivid  was  my  recollection  of  her. 
How  many  weeks  had  rolled  by  since  I  had  danced  with 
her  at  Lady  Tempest's  ball?  and  yet  my  memory  retained 
every  point  of  her  as  accurately  as  though  I  held  a  minia- 


310  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

ture  of  her  to  my  eyes :  the  dress  she  wore,  the  flower  she 
had  taken  from  her  bosom  (I  had  it  in  my  cabin),  her  soft 
gleaming  hair,  the  black  fan  by  her  side,  the  soft  laugh  in 
her  eyes,  her  parted  lips  and  sweet  gravity  when  I  spoke. 
Such  an  impression  was  surprising,  truly.  I  never  would 
have  believed  that  any  woman  could,  in  a  few  hours,  have 
left  so  clear  and  lasting  an  image  of  herself  on  my  memory. 

"I  say,  Mr.  Madison,  mind  you  don't  tumble  overboard! 
You  had  better  lay  hold  of  one  of  those  backstays  if  you 
mean  to  stop  up  there,"  sung  out  Shelvocke  from  the 
weather-side  of  the  deck:  and  wondering  at  the  depth  of 
the  reverie  that  had  suffered  me  to  clamber  on  to  the  rail 
of  the  bulwark,  and  stand  there  holding  on  only  with  my 
feet,  without  knowing  how  I  got  there,  and  why  I  was 
there,  I  jumped  down  with  a  red  face  and  walked  aft. 

Coming  events  cast  their  shadows  before.  Shakespeare 
himself  never  wrote  a  truer  line  than  that,  thou  prince  of 
lyrists,  Thomas  Campbell !  The  shadow  of  a  coming  event 
was  assuredly  upon  me  then,  or  why  should  I  have  stood 
pondering  and  musing  over  a  girl  whom  I  had  only  met 
once,  whom  I  was  quite  sure  I  should  never  meet  again, 
thinking  over  the  dances  we  had  danced  together,  of  the 
silver  fires  which  had  sparkled  in  her  eyes  as  she  stood 
upon  the  moonlit  lawn  with  me,  and  of  the  pensive  little 
equivoke  that  had  slipped  from  her  lips  when  she  handed 
me  the  flower  I  asked  for? 

"Why,  I  say?  Why  on  that  day  particularly?  Why 
not  yesterday,  or  a  week  or  fortnight  before?  Jamaica 
still  lay  a  long  distance  ahead  of  us;  my  persistent  think- 
ing of  her  could  not  have  been  owing  to  the  neighborhood 
of  that  island,  where  by  this  time,  I  might  take  it,  she  was 
installed,  and  viewing  with  accustomed  eyes  the  black, 
brown,  and  yellow  population  of  that  sweltering,  verdant, 
mountainous  possession,  and  accepting  the  mosquito,  the 
snake,  the  guana,  and  the  bald-headed  noisome  vulture,  the 
sudden  deaths,  the  prompt  funerals,  as  condiments  specially 
provided  by  a  bountiful  nature  solely  to  increase  the  Euro- 
pean's relish  of  tropical  happiness. 

"  How  does  she  go,  Mr.  Madison?"  called  out  Shelvocke, 
who  was  sheltering  himself  under  the  pinnace  from  the 
moist  blowing  of  the  wind. 


A  SMART  ENGAGEMENT.  311 

I  started.     She,  thought  I ! 

"  West-nor-west,  sir,"  I  answered,  after  creeping  up  the 
greasy  deck,  and  peering  at  the  card. 

"Turning  wool-gatherer!"  he  exclaimed,  as  I  approached 
him.  "Are  you  sure  it  is  west-nor-west? — or  were  you 
answering  in  Hamlet's  vein?"  * 

"No,  sir,"  I  answered,  laughing;  "we  are  heading  as  I 
said." 

Before  Peacock's  death  he  would  have  probed  me  to 
know  what  I  was  thinking  of,  and  then  have  rallied  me; 
but  his  spirits  were  low  now  compared  to  what  they  were, 
his  joking  mild  and  exceedingly  short-lived. 

"It  is  very  strange,"  said  he,  after  a  short  pause,  "that 
we  don't  come  across  any  vessels.  Luck  has  been  against 
us  ever  since  we  quitted  the  Channel,  so  that  Hannay's 
advice  to  stick  to  those  waters  has,  1  am  bound  to  say, 
down  to  the  present  proved  sound.  I  have  made  my  mind 
to  run  straight  for  Kingston  and  fish  for  news.  It  is  cer- 
tainly remarkable  that  nothing  but  that  slaver  should  have 
hove  in  sight,  considering  the  vast  extent  of  water  we  have 
traversed. " 

"  I  believe  we  made  a  mistake  in  running  south  after 
leaving  the  French  coast, "  I  answered. 

"  I  am  sure  of  it.  I  ought  to  have  stretched  over  into 
the  American  waters  and  worked  off  my  parallels  on  that 
side.  And  here  we  are  now  bothered  by  a  head  wind. 
You  had  better  get  the  outer  jib  stowed;  it  will  make  her 
drier  forward." 

"  I  gave  the  order,  and  the  jib  was  hauled  down,  slatting 
violently  and  rattling  the  hanks  like  a  shower  of  penny 
pieces  flung  upon  a  pavement.  The  wind  was  as  strong  as 
we  needed,  steady,  and  the  sea  moderate ;  the  schooner  was 
being  sailed  so  close  that  the  weather-leeches  were  rippling 
like  flags,  and  the  seas  running  almost  straight  at  her  made 
her  chop  up  and  down  so  viciously  that  her  progress  was 
marked  by  a  surface  of  foam  as  broad  and  wild  as  a  line-of- 
battle  ship  would  have  flung  off. 

The  weather  had  certainly  an  odd  look,  a  hazy  blue  sky 
overhead,  thin  sheets  of  mist  which  closed  and  opened, 
sometimes  giving  us  a  view  of  the  natural  horizon,  some- 

*  "  We  must  speak  by  the  card,  or  equivocation  will  undo  us. " 


312  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

times  narrowing  the  visible  circumference  of  the  sea  clown 
to  within  a  league;  a  fiery,  confused  sun,  like  the  eye  of  a 
man  angered  by  drink,  flinging  down  a  wild  white  light 
upon  a  space  of  leaping  violet-colored  seas  lustrous  with 
breaking  surges.  It  was  really  tropical  weather,  however ; 
I  knew  it  well;  the  only  two  bad  points  of  it  were,  it  ob- 
scured the  view  and  headed  us  out  of  our  course. 

The  morning  crawled  away.  At  dinner-time  the  sea  was 
still  covered  by  the  driving  mist;  constant  showers  of  spray 
swept  over  the  decks  and  made  the  planks  smell  like  sea- 
weed; but  in  spite  of  these  cooling  libations,  the  sun  was 
so  fiercely  hot  that  the  pitch  betwixt  the  seams  was  as  soft 
as  putty. 

"Positively,"  said  I,  as  we  seated  ourselves  at  the  din- 
ner-table, "  one  might  imagine  that  the  sunlight  to-day 
consisted  of  an  endless  succession  of  vicious  insects.  It  is 
one  long  sting." 

"Not  an  hour  ago,"  exclaimed  Chestree,  "I  clapped  my 
hand  on  the  back  of  my  neck — the  sun  being  behind  me — 
under  the  full  belief  that  somebody  had  stuck  a  mustard- 
poultice  upon  it.     It  was  like  having  one's  skin  peeled  off." 

"Well,  here  is  enough  pricking — so  let  us  hope  that 
something  wicked  this  way  comes,"  said  Shelvocke.  "Pea- 
soup,  I  perceive,  and  boiling  hot,  of  course,"  drawing  has- 
tily back  as  the  steward  whipped  off  the  cover  of  the  tureen 
and  let  a  cloud  of  steam  soar  up.  "  A  nice  drink  for  this 
temperature!" 

It  was  death  to  me  to  look  at  it,  but  Chestree  passed  his 
plate  for  a  second  helping. 

"I  am  very  fond  of  pea-soup,"  said  he;  and  as  he  hung 
over  the  steaming  fluid,  I  thought  of  Miss  Hawkins's  des- 
cription of  Samuel  Johnson  eating  a  veal-pie  stuffed  with 
"plumbs" — the  perspiration,  the  veins  standing  in  cords 
upon  the  forehead,  the  slop,  slop  of  the  spoon. 

"Phew,  captain!  the  windsail  wouldn't  be  amiss,"  said 
I;  "the  atmosphere  has  been  heated  by  twenty  degrees 
since  Chestree  begun  that  second  plate  of  soup :"  and  to  my 
great  comfort  the  order  to  hoist  the  windsail  was  given,  and 
the  big  canvas  funnel  breezed  sweetly  into  the  hot  interior. 

"Happy  is  he,"  said  Shelvodve,  looking  earnestly  at 
Chestree,   "  whose  stomach  is  not  impatient  of  the    equi- 


A  SMART  ENGAGEMENT.  313 

noxes.  The  true  Briton  is  a  man  who  will  eat  anything 
anywhere;  calipash  in  the  West,  curry  in  the  East,  pea- 
soup  on  the  equator.  The  nearer  he  draws  to  the  sun  the 
hotter  he  likes  his  food." 

"Pea-soup  only  makes  you  hot  while  you're  eating  it, 
sir,"  exclaimed  Chestree,  as  if  he  thought  an  apology  was 
wanted  from  him.      "It  cools  you  afterward." 

"  Still,  though  I  sneer, "  said  Shelvocke,  "  I  am  looking 
forward  to  my  calipash.  As  you  know,  Madison,  I  am 
quite  an  alderman  in  my  veneration  for  the  turtle.  Strange 
that  so  monstrous  a  conformation  should  enshrine  such 
ecstatic  fat.  The  man  who  first  tasted  him  must  have  been 
a  courageous  creature.  I  should  have  required  the  experi- 
ences of  at  least  three  generations  of  digestions  to  have 
dared  such  a  feat." 

A  step  was  heard  on  the  companion-ladder,  and  Tapping, 
hat  in  hand,  put  his  head  down. 

"  There's  a  sail  in  sight,  sir,  about  a  point  on  the  weather- 
bow.  She  is  only  to  be  seen  now  and  again  when  the  mist 
clears." 

"Go  and  see  what  you  can  make  of  her,  Madison,"  said 
Shelvocke. 

I  jumped  up  and  went  on  deck. 

"Where  away  is  your  stranger,  Tapping?"  said  I,  star- 
ing into  the  blank  horizon  ahead. 

He  pointed,  and  I  peered,  but  nothing  was  in  sight. 

"The  mist  has  rolled  clown  over  her  again,  sir,"  he  ex- 
claimed. "  But  you'll  see  her  by  keeping  your  eye  on  that 
part  of  the  sea  for  a  few  moments." 

I  stood  looking  and  looking. 

"Very  strange,  Tapping;  your  ship  is  a  long  while  heav- 
ing in  sight.  Surely  you  haven't  mistaken  some  dark  patch 
of  mist — like  that  yonder — for  a  vessel,"  said  I,  pointing 
to  a  small  circular  shadow  that  I  myself  should  have  taken 
to  be  a  sail  but  for  the  speed  with  which  the  long  strug- 
gling wreath  of  vapor  that  held  it  was  sweeping  athwart 
our  hawse. 

"Why,  I  don't  think  I  could  have  been  deceived,"  said 
he,  looking  rather  puzzled,  however.  "  What  I  saw  was 
uncommonly  like  a  ship,  and  the  mist  opened  her  twice  be- 
fore I  reported  her,  sir." 


314  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

"Forward  there!"  I  sung  out:  "did  any  one  sight  a  sail 
on  the  starboard  bow  just  now?" 

"No,  sir." 

"  Depend  upon  it,  Tapping,  you  have  been  deceived  by 
some  flaw  in  the  vapor  yonder.  However,  keep  a  bright 
lookout ;"  and  so  saying,  I  dived  below  to  finish  my  dinner. 

"There  is  nothing  in  sight,  sir,"  I  exclaimed,  resuming 
my  knife  and  fork.  "  The  fog  must  have  misled  Tapping. 
It's  as  thick  as  the  lees  of  a  bottle  of  loaded  port.  Ches- 
tree,  kindly  pass  me  the  brandy." 

"  I  thought  the  news  of  a  sail  being  in  sight  was  rather 
too  good  to  be  true,"  said  Shelvocke  ruefully. 

At  that  moment  I  heard  a  voice  on  the  forecastle  hailing 
the  quarter-deck.  Tapping  made  some  answer  that  I  could 
not  catch,  and  I  saw  Shelvocke  prick  up  his  ears.  In  a  few 
seconds  the  windsail  was  shoved  on  one  side  by  the  third 
mate  poking  his  head  through  the  skylight. 

"It  was  a  ship,  I  saw,  sir,"  he  sung  out.  "The  fog's 
hidden  her  again,  but  the  lookout  reported  her  this  time, 
so  there's  no  mistake." 

"  How  did  she  seem  to  be  heading,  Mr.  Tapping?"  asked 
Shelvocke. 

"  She  is  on  the  starboard  tack,  sir,  apparently  going  our 
way,  but  not  lying  so  close;  for  she's  right  ahead  now, 
rather  to  leeward,  if  anything." 

We  hastily  finished  dinner,  and  I  followed  Shelvocke  on 
deck,  where  we  stood,  armed  each  of  us  with  a  glass,  ready 
for  the  first  glimpse  of  the  stranger. 

"Now  if  this  wind  would  only  shift  a  point  we  should 
have  a  clear  horizon,"  said  Shelvocke,  impatiently  biting 
the  end  off  a  cigar,  and  clasping  his  glass  betwixt  his  knees 
while  he  irritably  hammered  at  the  flint  of  his  tinder-box. 

"There  she  is  at  last,  sir!"  I  cried,  as  the  mist  thinned 
away  on  the  horizon  ahead,  like  the  moisture  of  your  breath 
upon  a  looking-glass,  and  displayed  the  hull  and  spars  of  a 
large  vessel  under  easy  canvas. 

We  both  pointed  our  glasses.  The  ship  was  not  more 
than  five  miles  off,  and  we  had  her  plain.  The  sun,  being 
behind  us,  flung  its  misty  radiance  over  our  mastheads  upon 
her,  and  the  light  sparkled  in  the  windows  and  gilt  carving 
of  the  high  stern  of  what  was  seemingly  a  large  West  In* 


A  SMART  ENGAGEMENT.  315 

diaman.  Her  masts  were  focused  into  one  from  our  point 
of  view,  but  I  could  tell  by  her  yards  that  she  was  a  full- 
rigged  ship.  She  had  a  single  reef  in  her  topsails,  and  a 
main-topgallant-sail  set;  but  just  before  a  whole  cloud  of 
mist  blew  over  her  and  hid  her,  she  set  her  mainsail  and 
fore  and  mizzen  topgallant-sails,  and  I  could  see  some  hands 
crawling  aloft  to  shake  out  the  reefs — as  I  surmised. 

"Gone  again,  just  as  I  was  beginning  to  take  her  in!" 
cried  Shelvocke,  making  his  glass  ring  as  he  angrily  drove 
the  tubes  into  one  another.  "  What  do  you  suspect  her  to 
be,  Mr.  Madison?" 

"A  West  Indiaman  without  doubt,  sir;  and  an  English- 
man, I  am  afraid." 

"  Why  English?  deuce  take  her  if  she  prove  so!  I'm 
in  the  mood  for  a  change,  man.  I  want  to  see  a  few  for- 
eigners." 

We  waited  and  watched.  Presently  there  was  the  ship 
again  heeling  under  all  three  royals,  and  foaming  through 
the  water  about  three  points  on  our  lee  bow. 

"Oh,  ho!  that's  the  time  of  day,  is  it?"  shouted  Shel- 
vocke. "  Tiller  there!  starboard  your  helm — starboard  you 
may!  so — keep  her  full  now.  Ease  away  that  mainsheet. 
Lay  aft  some  hands  and  set  the  gaff-topsail.  She  wants  to 
get  quit  of  us,  does  she?  Ease  off  those  fore-sheets!  tail 
on  to  the  outer  jib-halliards — loose  the  flying-jib!" 

He  sprang  over  to  the  weather-side  of  the  deck  and  cast 
an  eager  look  at  the  trim  of  the  canvas,  and  apparently 
satisfied,  came  back  to  where  I  stood,  and  exclaimed  with 
a  chuckle : 

"We'll  talk  to  her,  be  she  what  she  will!" 

Ereed  from  the  griping  luff  that  had  choked  half  the 
wind  out  of  her  sails,  and  with  many  additional  cloths  upon 
her,  the  Tigress  rushed  through  the  water  like  a  comet;  the 
whirring,  crackling,  sparkling  foam  fled  past  with  a  veloc- 
ity that  made  the  eye  that  watched  it  reel  again ;  the  wind 
boomed  with  a  thunder-note  out  of  the  immense  hollow  of 
the  mainsail,  and  every  sail  was  as  hard  as  stone  under  the 
pressure.  The  relieving  tackles  were  manned,  for  the  tiller 
kept  the  two  powerful  men  who  grasped  it  dancing  like  a 
couple  of  monkeys  on  the  bough  of  a  tree.  The  mist  was 
blowing  away  fast,  though  from  time  to  time  lines  of  it 


316  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

would  sweep  across  the  ship  ahead,  and  obscure  her,  but 
not  so  as  to  embarrass  our  pursuit.  Her  press  of  canvas 
was  dragging  her  channels  under.  It  was  a  sight  to  wit- 
ness the  foam  fly  out  at  right  angles  with  her  hull  in  long 
glistening  streams,  like  jets  from  a  force-pipe,  as  the  chains 
ripped  up  the  water," while  to  windward  her  black  side  and 
the  copper  under  it  glanced  against  the  white  tops  of  the 
deep  green  of  the  waves — the  ebony  chased  with  gold  and 
ivory. 

"We  are  overhauling  her  fast!"  exclaimed  Shelvocke,  in 
a  voice  ringing  with  excitement.  "  Pipe  the  hands  to  quar- 
ters" (there  was  no  beating  of  drums  aboard  the  Tigress) ; 
"  get  the  nettings  triced  up,  and  close  the  hatches.  Were 
she  English  she  would  face  us." 

As  the  crew  were  bustling  to  stations,  I  caught  sight  of 
a  spot  of  color  on  the  taffrail  of  the  ship :  it  fluttered, 
struggled,  soared,  and  stood  out  like  a  board  at  the  peak. 

"The  stripes  and  stars,  as  I  am  a  man!"  cried  Shel- 
vocke. "But  we'll  have  no  juggling  this  time;  so  hoist 
away  our  ensign,  Mr.  Tapping,  and  let  them  know  the 
worst. " 

"In  spite  of  that  Yankee  flag,  sir,"  I  exclaimed,  after 
narrowly  inspecting  the  ship  with  the  glass,  "  I  will  stvear 
that  she's  English.  Indeed  I  am  greatly  mistaken  if  I 
have  not  seen  the  vessel  before.  If  she  prove  to  be  what  I 
suspect  she  is,  then  we  may  suppose  that  she  has  hoisted 
the  American  flag  under  the  impression  that  we  are  one  of 
Jonathan's  privateers." 

"She  has  the  truth  now,  anyway,"  answered  Shelvocke, 
with  a  glance  at  our  ensign :  but  she's  not  English,  I  tell 
you,  or  she'd  shorten  sail  and  receive  us — she  wouldn't 
run ;  or  if  she's  an  English  vessel,  she  has  a  foreign  crew 
aboard,  of  that  I'm  certain" 

"Time  will  prove,"  said  I,  ogling  the  ship's  stern 
shrewdly,  in  the  hope  of  finding  her  name;  but  if  any  let- 
ters were  there,  they  were  so  involved  in  ornamentation  as 
to  be  indistinguishable. 

We  gained  on  her  foot  by  foot,  and  when  within  range 
let  fly  a  gun  at  her  as  a  hint  to  heave  to;  but  she  paid  no 
attention  to  this  challenge.  Nobody  was  visible  aboard  of 
her  but  a  fellow  dressed  in  a  white  jacket  and  jean  panta- 


A  SMART  ENGAGEMENT.  317 

loons  and  a  red  cap,  whose  tall  figure,  as  lie  stood  upon  the 
rail  over  the  weather  quarter-gallery,  with  his  arm  round 
the  vang,  watching  us,  made  a  conspicuous  object. 

The  dress  of  this  man,  however,  went  a  long  way  to  con- 
firm Shelvocke's  suspicion  that,  if  the  ship  was  an  Eng- 
lishman, she  had  fallen  among  thieves. 

All  at  once  they  let  go  the  royal  and  topgallant  halliards 
and  hauled  up  their  courses,  put  their  helm  down,  and, 
throwing  their  vessel  almost  athwart  our  hawse,  fired  a 
broadside  of  seven  guns  at  us.  The  manoeuvre — full  of 
reckless  audacity,  as  it  not  only  imperilled  their  spars,  but 
very  nearly  put  the  ship  in  irons — was  executed  with  an 
abruptness  that  would  have  taken  away  the  breath  of  any 
man  less  alert  than  Shelvocke :  but  almost  simultaneously 
with  the  shifting  of  their  helm,  he  motioned  to  the  men  at 
the  schooner's  tiller.  The  Tigress  fell  off,  and  the  ship's 
broadside  discharge  flew  wide  of  the  mark  to  windward  of 
us.  There  was  a  pause  of  a  minute  or  two,  while  we  flew 
down  upon  the  enemy,  who  was  slowly  paying  off.  The 
instant  she  presented  her  stern  at  us,  we  raked  her  with 
five  guns.  Heavy  as  was  the  thunder  of  the  explosion, 
we  could  hear  the  grape  and  round  shot  tearing  along  her 
decks,  the  smashing  of  glass,  the  splintering  of  wood,  min- 
gled with  loud  shrieks;  and  at  the  same  moment  that  we 
fired,  the  sail-trimmers  whipped  half  the  canvas  off  the 
schooner,  and  there  were  we  to  windward,  under  jib  and 
foresail  only,  and  within  hailing  distance  of  the  ship. 

So  close,  indeed,  that  we  could  clearly  distinguish  the 
faces  of  the  half-naked  men  surging  about  the  gun-ports 
as  they  worked  the  cannons.  The  man  in  the  red  cap,  who 
had  been  watching  us,  was  evidently  in  command;  flourish- 
ing an  immense  pistol,  he  darted  here  and  there,  and  his 
cap  seemed  to  twinkle  in  half-a-dozen  places  at  once;  he 
was  a  giant  in  stature,  and  brandished  his  arms  like  a  wind- 
mill. Through  the  gun-ports  we  could  see  a  number  of 
mulattoes  and  negroes  among  the  crew,  and  some  white 
men  and  negroes  were  clustered  in  the  maintop,  and  dis- 
charged muskets  at  our  decks  as  fast  as  they  could  load 
them,  and  a  constant  succession  of  tiny  white  puffs  of 
smoke  blew  away  from  among  them  through  the  topmast 
rigging. 


318  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

It  was  as  clear  as  the  sun  now  that  the  ship  was  an  Eng- 
lish West  Indiaman,  in  charge  of  a  prize  crew — whether 
Yankee,  French,  or  pirate  could  not  yet  be  known.  But 
there  was  no  time  for  observation  or  conjecture.  The  mo- 
ment we  took  up  our  position  to  windward,  guns  of  each 
vessel  began  their  infernal  din.  How  can  any  man  de- 
scribe such  a  scene!  It  was  all  crash  and  fury,  the  spark- 
ling out  of  tongues  of  red  flame,  a  smother  of  choking, 
sulphur-flavored  smoke,  a  dull  trembling  throughout  the 
length  and  breadth  of  the  schooner,  the  whistling  of  hurt- 
ling iron  missiles,  the  cracking  of  wood,  and  a  roaring  of 
human  voices.  The  very  wind  seemed  awed  by  the  fiend- 
ish hullabaloo,  and  the  smoke  from  our  guns  drove  slug- 
gishly down  upon  the  enemy,  and,  mingling  with  the  white 
clouds  which  rose  from  her  decks,  sailed  in  a  large  fog 
along  the  green  waters  to  leeward. 

"  Aim  at  that  red-capped  fellow,  some  of  you  small-arms 
men!"  shouted  Shelvocke,  pointing  to  the  giant,  who,  re- 
gardless of  the  danger  of  the  exposed  position,  had  jumped 
on  to  the  bulwarks  before  the  mizzen-rigging,  and  stood 
there  yelling  to  his  fellows,  and  pointing  with  his  pistol  to 
us. 

Half-a-dozen  muskets  were  levelled;  they  flashed  at  the 
moment  our  two  after-guns  were  fired;  the  man  leaped  in 
the  air  and  vanished  behind  the  bulwarks.  Now,  thought 
I,  the  rascals  are  without  a  leader:  when  lo!  there  was  the 
cap  twinkling  over  the  rail  again,  and  presently  the  whole 
giant  forked  up,  and  stood  vociferating  and  motioning  to 
his  men  upon  the  identical  spot  from  which  I  imagined  we 
had  shot  him  down. 

Crash !  down  topples  her  main-topgallant  mast. 

"How  come  your  shot  to  be  flying  so  high?  Hull  her, 
men — hull  her!"  roars  Shelvocke. 

What  is  that  object  swaying  to  and  fro  as  it  slowly  soars 
to  the  maintop?  A  boat's  gun,  by  Heaven!  And  see 
those  black  rascals  up  there  fling  down  their  muskets  to 
steady  the  tackle,  and  make  ready  to  sway  the  piece  into 
the  top!  I  noticed  the  men  stationed  at  our  foremost  car- 
ronade  elevate  their  gun :  the  live  fuse  touches  the  prim- 
ing, and  the  gaping  muzzle  belches  forth  an  ocean  of  fire 
and  smoke ;   a  ringing  cheer  peals  forth,  and  when  I  look 


A  SMART  ENGAGEMENT.  319 

the  boat-gun  has  vanished,  the  tackle  idly  beats  the  mast 
in  whips,  and  a  wounded  black,  shrieking  in  his  agony,  and 
lolling  head  down,  and  hands  hanging  over  the  edge  of  the 
top,  suddenly  shoots  heels  over  head  and  whizzes  through 
the  air.  A  murderous  discharge  is  at  this  moment  fired  at 
us  from  three  of  the  enemy's  forward  guns:  the  shower  of 
white  splinters  fly  from  our  forecastle-rail,  and  the  parted 
foretopgallant-stay  swings  quickly  in  to  the  mast;  the  gaff 
of  the  foresail  floats  down  with  the  white  folds  of  the  sail, 
and  smothers  a  group  of  small-arms  men  in  the  waist. 

"No  matter,  my  lads!  The  sail's  a  rag,  and  well  doused. 
Aft  here,  and  rattle  up  this  mainsail!" 

By  this  time  the  two  vessels  had  drawn  close  together. 
There  was  not  half  a  ship's  length  between  them.  Our 
shot  had  already  knocked  two  of  the  enemy's  gun -ports  into 
one,  her  sides  were  studded  with  shot,  and  her  bulwarks 
were  like  a  sieve.  What  the  slaughter  was  we  could  not 
see.  On  the  other  hand  our  hull  was  badly  hurt;  moment 
after  moment  our  men  were  being  taken  away ;  and  it  was 
easily  seen  that,  if  this  battering  was  not  soon  terminated, 
the  ship  would  fight  herself  clear  of  us. 

Indeed,  such  fierceness  and  obstinacy  on  the  part  of  the 
enemy  was  quite  unexpected  by  us.  They  were  fighting 
their  ship  like  demons.  We  could  see  the  men  flinging  the 
dead  and  wounded,  as  fast  as  they  dropped  down,  out  of 
way,  as  if  they  were  sacks  of  biscuit.  Though  the  vessels 
were  so  close  together  that  the  flames  of  the  enemy's  guns 
scorched  our  people  away  from  their  quarters  at  every 
broadside,  the  men  of  the  Indiamen  never  swerved  from 
their  stations,  though  just  before  we  boarded  I  saw  a  whole 
fathom  of  fire  dart  out  of  one  of  our  amidship  guns  into  the 
thick  of  a  cluster  of  the  Indiaman's  crew,  and  blast  and 
wither  and  shrivel  up  half  a  dozen  of  the  unhappy  wretches 
into  olive-colored  rags,  yet  the  survivors  held  their  ground, 
and  rattled  their  gun  out  again,  and  exploded  it  with  a 
derisive  yell.  Our  metal  was  heavier,  but  they  had  the 
advantage  of  elevation ;  and  resolving  to  end  the  bloody  and 
fiery  business  by  a  coup  de  main,  Shelvocke  motioned  for 
the  helm  to  be  put  over,  and  the  next  moment  the  two  ves- 
sels were  grinding  their  sides  against  each  other. 

A  dozen  blacks  and  white  men,  headed  by  the  giant  in 


320  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

the  red  cap,  succeeded  in  tumbling  into  the  waist,  where  a 
furious  hand-to-hand  struggle  commenced.  Aft,  Shelvocke 
was  the  first  to  spring  aboard  the  enemy,  I  was  next  him, 
and  behind  were  thirty  or  forty  of  the  Tigresses. 

Of  what  followed  I  cannot  pretend  to  give  a  close  ac- 
count. I  remember  hacking  and  hewing  with  my  cutlass 
at  the  netting,  clambering  over  and  through  it,  and  tum- 
bling down  on  my  nose  over  the  bulwarks  of  the  ship; 
gaining  my  feet  and  seeing  Shelvocke  and  a  number  of 
men  making  the  air  brilliant  with  the  gleaming  sweep  of 
their  cutlasses;  joining  them,  and  finding  myself  stabbing, 
thrusting,  parrying,  half-blinded  by  blood,  whether  my  own 
or  other  people's  I  did  not  know,  opposed  by  a  furious  mob 
of  human  beings,  half  of  them  negroes,  most  of  them  naked 
to  the  waist:  and  yet  in  this  moment  of  wild  excitement, 
stunned  by  the  hideous  yelling  of  the  blacks,  and  the  fierce 
execrations  of  the  whites  who  cursed  and  raved  at  us  in  our 
own  tongue,  stumbling  over  corpses,  ropes,  boarding-pikes, 
sliding  about  on  grape-shot  rolling  over  the  deck,  stunned 
one  moment  by  the  weight  of  a  heavy  body  flinging  against 
me  in  a  headlong  fall — even  in  this  moment,  I  say,  certain 
minute  occurrences  and  things  were  vividly  flashed  upon 
my  perception,  just  as  a  man  takes  note  of  objects  during  a 
glare  of  lightning.  I  remember,  for  instance,  the  demoni- 
acal expression  on  the  face  of  a  herculean  negro  as  he  let 
drive  a  boarding-pike  at  my  breast,  my  momentary  sense 
of  despair  as  I  dropped  my  cutlass  to  catch  and  wrestle 
with  the  weapon,  and  the  joy  that  gave  me  back  tenfold 
my  strength  when  he  tossed  up  his  hands,  leaving  the  pike 
in  my  grasp,  and  coughed  and  sputtered  np  a  fountain  of 
dark  blood,  and  fell  backward,  shot  through  the  lungs.  I 
remember  looking  at  Shelvocke,  though  the  glance  must 
have  been  instantaneous,  and  observing  the  prodigious 
strength  expressed  by  his  towering  form,  as,  with  his  coat 
wrenched  off  his  back,  his  massive,  knotted  arm  bared 
above  the  elbow,  his  face  dark  with  blood  and  the  grime  of 
powder,  he  mowed  with  his  cutlass  among  the  writhing, 
struggling,  hooting  mob,  whom  foot  by  foot  we  were  driv- 
ing forward. 

"Aloft,  some  hands!"  he  shouted,  "and  clear  those  ver- 
min out  of  the  maintop!" 


A  SMART  ENGAGEMENT.  321 

I  turned  to  lead  the  way,  but  Tapping  was  before  me ; 
he  was  followed  by  half  a  dozen  of  our  men,  and  I  forgot 
them  a  moment  after,  as  I  rounded  again  to  the  demons 
who  opposed  us.  A  fierce-faced,  bearded,  white  man,  ren- 
dered ghastly  beyond  description  by  a  wound  across  his 
forehead,  that  had  let  fall  a  flap  of  skin  over  his  left  eye, 
levelled  a  pistol  at  me;  I  ducked,  and  the  shot  flew  over 

my  head.     I  sprang  at  him,  and  then "Oh  God!"  I 

remember  crying,  and  consciousness  fled  from  me  in  a  flask 
of  fire. 

21 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE   NAMUR. 

I  opened  my  eyes,  and  the  first  object  they  rested  upon 
was  the  highly  whiskered,  brown,  and  honest  face  of  Pa- 
rell,  the  boatswain's  mate,  who  headed  my  watch. 

"Mercy  on  me,  Parell,  where  am  I?"  I  exclaimed,  as  he 
whipped  his  body  erect  with  astonishment  on  finding  me 
alive.  "Here,  give  me  your  hand,  my  good  fellow;"  and 
seizing  his  fist,  I  hauled  myself  on  to  my  legs,  staggered, 
reeled,  was  caught  by  the  man,  and  lodged  safely  on  the 
step  of  a  carronade  slide. 

The  fight  was  over;  the  West  Indiaman  was  ours:  but 
great  heaven,  what  a  sight  were  on  her  decks !  Blacks  and 
white  men — and  alas!  alas!  among  the  latter  I  beheld 
many  of  our  own  people — lay  so  thick,  that  a  man  on  stilts 
could  not  have  picked  his  way  along  the  starboard  side  of 
the  maindeck  without  treading  upon  the  corpses. 

Directly  facing  me,  and  seated  on  a  carronade  slide  that 
corresponded  with  the  one  to  which  Parell  had  led  me,  was 
Shelvocke,  with  his  hands  and  face  smeared  with  blood, 
supporting  his  head  on  his  arm,  without  a  hat,  his  shirt  in 
rags  upon  his  back,  his  naked  arms  black  with  powder, 
breathing  violently,  and  apparently  terribly  exhausted. 
Around  the  forehatch  were  grouped  a  half-dozen  of  our 
men,  armed  to  the  teeth;  a  dead  body  hung  across  a  ratline 
in  the  lower  fore-rigging;  ropes  lay  strewn  across  the  deck 
and  upon  the  sides  of  the  ship  in  bights;  portions  of  the 
bulwarks  were  crimsoned  with  blood;  here  and  there  a 
prostrate  body  quivered  or  moved,  and  low  thrilling  mur- 
murs from  the  wounded  in  their  agony,  from  the  dying  in 
their  last  struggle,  broke  upon  the  ear. 

"I  have  a  drop  here,  sir,  that  may  pull  you  up  a  bit," 
said  Parell,  producing  a  flask  of  brandy,  how  obtained  I 


THE  NAMUR.  323 

did  not  inquire.  I  put  my  lips  to  it  and  swallowed  a  dram ; 
but  it  was  like  pouring  liquid  fire  down  my  throat. 

"  Water!"  I  gasped,  half  choked.  He  made  his  way  to 
a  scuttle-butt  near  the  mainmast,  and  brought  me  a  tin  pint- 
measure  full.  Oh,  the  sweetness,  the  delicious  coolness  of 
that  blessed  draught!  Topping  the  spirit,  it  made  another 
man  of  me.     I  got  upon  my  feet  and  found  I  could  stand. 

A  dull  aching  pain  on  the  top  of  my  head  caused  me  to 
raise  my  hand.  I  found  I  was  without  a  hat,  and  my  fin- 
gers touched  some  hard  stuff  that  felt  like  pieces  of  mortar. 

"Why,  what  in  heaven's  name  have  I  here?"  cried  I, 
bringing  my  fingers  away  and  looking  at  them.  "Blood! 
...  to  be  sure!  I  was  felled  just  now  by  some  scoun- 
drel, wasn't  I?" 

"It's  only  a  little  blood  that's  thickened  your  hair,  sir," 
said  Parell.     "  A  touch  o'  warm  water  '11  set  that  to  rights." 

Ay,  that  is  it:  but  the  sun,  though  declining  fast,  had  a 
fierce  bite,  so  I  tied  a  pocket-handkerchief  round  my  un- 
fortunate pate,  and  walked  over  to  Shelvocke.  He  looked 
up. 

"Good  Lord,  what  a  face,  Madison!"  he  gasped  out. 
"  But  welcome  back  to  life.     I  thought  I  saw  you  dead." 

"And  you,  sir?" 

"  Untouched,  though  almost  dispatched  by  my  own  ex- 
ertions. But  see — but  see  what  a  number  of  our  brave  fel- 
lows these  murderous  Yankee  pirates  have  cost  us!"  and 
he  ran  his  grieved  eyes  over  the  prone  bodies. 

"  And  how  long  can  I  have  been  dead — do  you  know, 
sir?" 

"Why,  not  above  five  minutes,  I  should  think.  We 
have  only  just  driven  the  last  of  the  batch  below.  How 
they  fought!  Those  blacks  are  fiends!  in  their  very  death- 
agonies  some  of  them  buried  their  teeth  in  the  flesh  of  our 
wounded.  What  enemies  to  oppose  to  white  men!"  he  ex- 
claimed, still  fetching  his  breath  with  labor.  "  Has  the 
schooner  suffered  much?  My  eyes  so  smart  with  the  pow- 
der-smoke that  I  can  hardly  see  out  of  them,"  he  added, 
nodding  toward  the  Tigress,  who  had  drawn  ahead  of  the 
ship  by  about  a  cable' s-length,  and  lay  hove  to  with  her 
canvas  shaking. 

"  So  far  as  I  can  make  out,  her  rigging  is  a  good  deal  cut 


324  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

up,  and  her  mainsail  is  a  perfect  Milky -way  of  shot-holes," 
I  answered;  "but  her  spars  look  all  right,  sir." 

"The  Lord  be  praised  for  that!"  said  he,  rising.  "The 
last  two  broadsides  were  ferocious  enough  to  drive  us  out  of 
water.  But  heaven  and  earth,  what  a  massacre!"  he  cried, 
clasping  his  hands  with  a  vehement  gesture  as  he  ran  his 
eyes  over  the  deck.  "  Look,  I  can  count  seven  of  our  men 
dead  between  this  and  the  main-hatch!" 

"Surely  there  cannot  be  many  prisoners  below  sir,"  said 
I.  "There  is  slaughter  enough  here  to  account  for  the 
whole  of  the  ship's  crew." 

"  We  drove  about  a  dozen  or  twenty  of  them  under, "  he 
answered.  "  There  should  have  been  two-score  at  least 
when  we  boarded,  but  they  melted  away  as  we  slowly  set- 
tled them  forward  like  a  handful  of  sand  through  the  fin- 
gers. You  had  better  take  some  men  below,  Madison,  and 
explore  the  cabin,  while  I  signal  the  schooner.  Have  you 
seen  anything  of  Tapping?" 

"There  he  is  yonder,  sir,  near  the  fore-hatch." 

He  hailed  the  third  mate,  who  limped  heavily  as  he  made 
his  way  aft. 

In  the  mean  time  I  called  to  Parell,  and  another  seaman 
named  Bowman,  to  follow  me;  and  picking  up  a  cutlass  I 
descended  the  companion-steps  and  entered  the  cabin.  I 
advanced  cautiously,  for  there  was  no  guessing  who  was 
below,  and  what  reception  awaited  the  first  explorer  of  those 
regions.  We  found  ourselves  in  a  large  deserted  cabin,  or 
saloon,  most  luxuriously  and  handsomely  fitted.  Accus- 
tomed as  I  was  to  the  sumptuous  cabin-trappings  of  India- 
men,  I  was  astonished  by  the  beauty  and  taste  exhibited  in 
this  place.  The  bulkheads  were  furnished  with  tall  mirrors ; 
rich  curtains  hung  in  front  of  the  doors  of  the  berths  which 
were  partitioned  off  from  the  cabin;  trays  of  flowers  and 
globes  of  fish  swung  from  the  ceiling;  the  mizzen-mast,  that 
pierced  the  two  decks,  was  painted  and  decorated  so  as  to 
resemble  a  column  of  elaborately -carved  marble ;  and  what 
with  velvet  chairs  and  sofas,  sparkling  brass  lamps,  sky- 
lights enriched  with  ferns,  dark  and  lustrous  oak-panelling, 
and  a  tall,  picturesquely  ornamented  pianoforte  at  the  back 
of  the  mizzen-mast,  the  cabin  seemed  like  a  drawing-room 
in  a  royal  residence. 


THE  NAMUR.  325 

There  were  some  decanters  of  wine,  glasses,  plates,  a 
dish  of  biscuits,  and  a  cold  ham  on  the  table;  where  they 
looked  to  have  been  hastily  placed  and  hastily  left ;  there 
was  a  fork  with  a  piece  of  ham  stuck  on  it  upon  a  plate, 
and  a  biscuit  alongside  of  it  with  the  mark  of  a  bite,  and  a 
wineglass  lay  on  its  side  amid  a  little  pool  of  sherry. 

All  these  things  were  noted  by  me  as  I  advanced,  but  on 
facing  a  mirror  I  came  to  a  dead  stop,  aghast  at  the  mon- 
strous figure  reflected  in  it. 

"Good  heavens,  Parell!"  I  muttered,  observing  the  two 
fellows  grinning  behind  me.     "Can  that  fearful  thing  be 

ME?" 

My  face  was  covered  with  grime  and  blood  that  had 
hardened  into  a  black  mask  over  my  eyebrows  and  on  my 
left  cheek;  but  shocking  as  this  discoloration  and  the 
character  of  it  made  my  countenance,  the  whole  expression 
was  rendered  inexpressibly  hideous  by  the  stained  white 
pocket-handkerchief  I  had  tied  around  my  head  and  knotted 
under  my  chin,  so  as  to  cause  my  beard  to  project  like  a 
frill,  or  the  dorsal  fin  of  a  shark.  In  addition  to  this  my 
shirt,  like  Shelvocke's,  hung  in  several  rags  from  my 
shoulders,  and  the  left  leg  of  my  trousers  had  been  split  up 
as  high  as  my  knee.  My  horror  of  my  own  aspect  so 
heightened  the  ghastly  appearance  of  my  face,  that  the 
proverbial  extremes  met.  I  looked,  turned  away,  and 
burst  out   laughing. 

"  Lord,  what  a  ghost  I  should  make !"  I  shouted.  "  What 
a  Banquo  —what  a  Hamlet' s  father — what  a  Witch  of  Endor ! 

"'Approach  thou  like  the  rugged  Russian  bear, 
The  arm'd  rhinoceros  or  the  Hyrean  tiger, 
Take  any  shape  but  that '  " 

I  stopped  short,  petrified  by  the  apparition  of  a  long  yel- 
low face  projected  beyond  one  of  the  curtains  that  quivered 
like  a  blowing  flag  in  the  shaking  hand  of  the  individual 
who  had  drawn  it  aside.  The  face  was  yellow  as  butter, 
and  had  the  moist  smne  of  butter,  too;  it  had  a  long  aqui- 
line nose,  perfectly  round,  black,  bloodshot  eyes,  and  was 
crowned  with  a  mat  of  intensely  black  hair.  It  looked  at 
me,  and  I  looked  at  it;  it  dodged  once  or  twice,  like  the 
head  of  a  person  who  makes  a  feint  of  hiding;  it  then  forked 


326  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

out,  slowly  drawing  after  it  a  long,  thin  figure,  dressed  in 
black,  supported  upon  a  pair  of  knock-kneed  legs,  cased  iu 
stockings  like  a  bishop's,  and  terminating  in  a  pair  of 
square,  flat  shoes,  freighted  with  enormous  silver  buckles. 

"  Gracious  goodness!"  he  ejaculated,  looking  at  me  from 
top  to  toe.  "Are  you  a  man  or  a  walking  corpse?  God 
have  mercy  upon  us!  Such  horrors,  one  after  another, 
might  turn  the  brain  of  the  unthinking  beast  of  the  field!" 

I  immediately  perceived  that  he  was  a  passenger,  and  as 
there  was  no  time  for  parleying,  I  explained  who  I  was,  and 
the  character  of  the  vessel  that  had  captured  the  ship.  I 
never  saw  any  human  face  more  agitated  than  his  when  I 
told  him  that  we  were  Englishmen,  and  that  the  ship  was 
our  prize.  He  rushed  at  me  with  extended  arms,  clasped 
his  hands  round  my  neck,  and  sobbed  out  the  wildest 
exclamations  of  joy  like  any  woman  in  hysterics. 

"  And  you  tell  me  that  the  American  pirates  have  been 
vanquished?  and  that  this  ship  is  in  possession  of  honor- 
able Englishmen?"  he  shouted,  breaking  away  from  me  and 
shooting  about  on  his  long,  thin  legs ;  and  then  darting  aft, 
he  drew  back  the  curtains  hanging  in  front  of  the  berths, 
one  after  the  other,  with  a  vehemence  that  made  the  rings 
rattle  again  on  the  brass  rods,  and  flung  open  the  doors, 
shouting  as  he  turned  the  handles : 

"Colonel  Bray,  we  are  saved,  sir!  Mrs.  Montague  and 
family,  we  are  in  the  hands  of  Englishmen  and  friends! 
Miss  Palmer,  Mr.  Johnson,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Solomons,  come 
forth,  come  forth !  We  are  saved,  I  tell  you !  The  pirates 
are  defeated!  We  are  under  British  colors  once  more! 
Hooray !" 

He  uttered  three  distinct  and  vigorous  cheers;  and  such 
was  the  contrast  between  his  extravagant  joy  and  his  solemn 
costume,  the  carnal  raptures  expressed  by  his  legs  and  their 
spiritual  structure,  that  nothing  but  the  reflection  of  my 
person  in  one  of  the  looking-glasses,  and  my  annoyance 
that  ladies  would  be  among  the  spectators  of  my  deplorable 
figure,  could  have  restrained  my  laughter.  Indeed,  I  had 
never  contemplated  the  possibility  of  ladies  being  below 
when  I  undertook  to  explore  the  cabin,  nor,  until  a  mirror 
confronted  me,  had  I  any  idea  of  the  frightfulness  of  my 
appearance. 


THE  NAMUR.  327 

However,  I  was  too  late  to  escape,  though  when  the 
yellow-faced  men  fell  a-bawling  to  the  others  to  come  forth, 
I  cowered  behind  Parell  and  his  mate,  who,  grimy  as'  they 
were,  looked  civilized  and  Christian  men  alongside  of  me. 

A  number  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  came  running  out  of 
the  berths  until  the  cabin  seemed  full  of  people.  I  bobbed 
behind  the  seamen,  looking  at  the  passengers  as  they 
emerged,  all  talking  at  once ;  but  my  eye  lighting  on  a  face 
— pale,  gray-eyed,  full  of  sweetness,  sorrow,  and  fear— my 
heart  seemed  to  stop  beating,  the  blood  tingled  through  me 
until  my  fingers  felt  as  if  buried  in  an  ant's  nest. 

"Merciful  powers!"  thought  I,  "it  is  Madeline  Palmer!" 
I  could  scarcely  believe  my  eyes — but  there  she  stood,  to 
the  right  of  the  mast,  the  outermost  figure  of  the  little 
crowd,  gazing  at  me  and  my  men,  with  eyebrows  arched 
with  horror.  My  stupefaction  passed  quickly.  "Pish!" 
I  said  to  myself,  "she'll  never  know  me  in  this  figure:" 
and  parting  the  two  fellows  who  had  stood  right  in  front 
of  me,  I  stepped  forth. 

The  ladies  screamed,  -and  there  was  a  general  recoil, 
more  especially  on  the  part  of  Mrs.  Solomons — an  immensely 
fat  West-Indian  Jewess,  who  backed  so  violently  into  the 
waistcoat  of  a  slightly  built  gentleman,  who  turned  out  to 
be  Colonel  Bray,  that  she  pinned,  crushed,  and  nearly  suffo- 
cated him  against  the  bulkhead. 

"I  am  sorry,"  said  I,  "to  be  obliged  to  appear  before 
ladies  in  this  trim;  but  the  engagement  has  been  a  severe 
one,  and  I  have  really  had  no  time  to  change  my  clothes. 
However,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  pray  do  not  be  alarmed. 
We  are  Englishmen,  and  have  regained  this  vessel,  which 
we  supposed  was  captured  by  an  American  privateer. 
Your  persons  and  property  are  safe,  and  you  will  be  under 
way  for  Kingston,  Jamaica,  as  soon  as  the  decks  are 
cleared  and  the  vessels  refitted." 

I  looked  hard  at  Miss  Palmer  as  1  spoke,  to  see  if  she 
"twigged"  me,  but,  though  there  was  plenty  of  speculation 
in  her  beautiful  eyes,  there  was  no  recognition.  All  horror 
had  left  her,  however,  and  she  was  one  of  the  first  to  press 
forward  to  grasp  my  hand. 

And  then  began  one  of  those  ordeals  I  abominate.  In 
all,  there  were  eleven  passengers,  including  a  baby  j  and  I 


328  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

was  nearly  suffocated  by  them  as  they  pressed  around  me. 
Such  sobbing!  such  short  peals  of  hysteric  laughter! — 
everybody  shaking  hands;  women  kissing;  the  baby  taking 
fright  and  squalling;  Mrs.  Solomons  swooning  away  and 
recovering,  at  the  expense  of  her  gown,  that  had  to  be  cut 
off  her  back;  Mr.  Johnson,  a  bald-headed,  fat  little  man, 
bouncing  up  to  me  again  and  again  to  grasp  my  hands  and 
thank  me  for  his  life  and  liberty;  Colonel  Bray  forcing 
wine  upon  me  and  my  men ;  the  yellow-faced  man  cutting 
capers  around  me,  and  calling  me  his  guardian  angel — it 
was  more  than  I  could  stand. 

"  Gentlemen,  we  have  our  work  on  deck ;  meanwhile  I 
will  ask  you  to  remain  below  with  the  ladies,  and  on  no 
account  to  suffer  them  to  leave  the  cabin  until  the  ship  is 
cleared :"  and  so  saying  I  made  a  bow,  and  mounted  the 
companion-steps,  thankful  to  heaven  to  have  escaped  Miss 
Palmer's  recognition,  and  horribly  distressed  that  any  wo- 
man's eye  should  have  beheld  my  blood-stained  face  and 
torn  garments. 

I  found  Shelvocke  watching  Gorney  at  work  among  the 
bodies,  separating  the  dead  from  the  wounded ;  and  as  fast 
as  he  pronounced  a  body  dead,  some  men  attached  a  shot  to 
its  feet  and  dropped  it  overboard.  There  was  no  time  for 
ceremony :  the  sun  was  within  an  hour  of  his  setting,  the 
heat  increased  as  the  wind  failed,  much  work  was  needed 
aloft;  but  it  was  necessary  to  clear  the  decks  first,  and 
cleanse  the  ship  of  the  ghastly  relics  of  the  struggle. 

"There  are  eleven  passengers  below,  sir,"  said  I  to  Shel- 
vocke. 

"Ladies?" 

"Five  ladies,  a  nurse  and  a  baby,  and  four  gentlemen." 

"And  what  did  they  take  you  to  be?"  said  he,  glancing 
at  me  with  a  smile,  that  the  grime  on  his  face  made  exceed- 
ingly odd.  "  You  look  like  a  portrait  of  old  Mother  Ship- 
ton  with  that  handkerchief  around  your  head.  I  hope  you 
stopped  them  from  coming  on  deck?"  running  his  eyes  over 
his  own  clothes. 

"  Yes,  sir,  and  I  have  posted  a  man  half-way  up  the  the 
companion-steps,  in  case  their  curiosity  should  master  them. 
Whom  think  you  makes  one  of  the  ladies?" 

"  I  have  no  idea." 


v^vU 


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"  I  am  sorry,"  said  I,  "  but   the  engagement  has   been  a  severe 
one,  and  I  have  really  had  no  time  to  change  my  clothes." 

— Page  327. 


THE  NAMUR.  329 

"  Miss  Palmer — the  young  lady  I  danced  with  at  Lady 
Tempest's." 

He  looked  hard  at  me  to  see  if  I  was  in  earnest. 

"Strange  indeed!''  he  exclaimed:  "and  yet  not  so  very 
strange  either,  considering  that  she  was  to  sail  for  the  West 
Indies  much  about  the  time  we  quitted  Plymouth.  Did  she 
know  you?" 

"I  hope  not." 

"  Anyway  she  couldn't  have  seen  your  blushes.  Curious 
things  do  happen  in  this  world,  which  is  much  smaller  than 
people  think,  even  at  sea.  Look  at  them  tossing  the  dead 
overboard!  So  many  of  our  men,  too!  I  dread  the  hour 
for  the  muster-roll  to  be  called.  I  am  sorry  to  say  that 
Chestree  is  badly  hurt — stabbed  by  the  red-capped  ruffian 
who  boarded  the  Tigress." 

"It  has  been  a  bloody  business,  captain." 

"It  has  indeed.     How  does  your  head  feel?" 

"  As  though  a  little  warm  water  would  freshen  me  up, 
sir." 

"  Then  see  here,  Madison ;  jump  into  that  boat,  and  get 
aboard  the  Tigress  and  dress  your  head.  You  can  after- 
ward return  and  relieve  me.  Be  as  quick  as  you  can,  as  I 
want  you  to  take  charge  here." 

"Ay,  ay,  sir,"  said  I,  mightily  thankful  for  the  chance 
of  boarding  the  schooner.  I  dropped  into  the  gig  that  lay 
alongside  with  three  men  in  her,  we  shoved  off,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  I  was  in  my  cabin. 

The  steward  brought  me  a  can  of  warm  water  and  bathed 
my  head;  the  wound  was  on  the  scalp,  very  sore  indeed  to 
the  touch,  and  I  had  evidently  lost  a  great  deal  of  blood: 
however,  I  felt  pretty  hearty  when  I  was  washed  and  my 
clothes  changed.  I  told  the  steward  to  make  up  a  small 
bundle  of  linen  and  throw  it  into  the  boat;  and  while  he 
did  this,  I  peeped  into  Chestree's  cabin.  The  poor  fellow 
was  asleep,  but  looked  so  ghastly,  I  thought  he  was  dead, 
until  I  put  my  ear  to  his  mouth.  I  closed  the  door  gently, 
bidding  the  steward  give  an  eye  to  him ;  and  as  I  went  to 
the  gangway  to  get  into  the  boat,  I  saw  a  pile  of  dead  lying 
against  the  galley,  and  some  of  the  crew  of  the  schooner 
swabbing  the  deck  while  others  were  at  work  aloft.  I 
called  to  the  boatswain  and  asked  after  the  wounded. 


330         AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

"There  are  eight  dead,  and  nineteen  down,  sir;  and  of 
them  I  fear  near  half  a  score' 11  never  see  the  sun  rise  again. 
It's  been  a  murderous  action!"  he  exclaimed  sadly. 

"  I  am  glad  to  find  you  unhurt, "  said  I.  "  The  wounded 
have  been  seen  to,  I  hope?" 

"  Yes,  sir,  after  a  fashion.  Mr.  Corney  has  coopered 
'em  as  well  as  time  allowed.  I  suppose  there'll  be  a  boat- 
load aboard  the  prize?" 

"  Ay,  the  slaughter  there  has  been  dreadful.  What  are 
those  dead  yonder?"  I  asked,  pointing  to  the  bodies  near 
the  galley. 

"  Most  of  'em  the  chaps  who  boarded  us,  sir.  Not  a  man 
escaped.  But  that  red-capped  cove  must  ha'  been  Satan 
himself.  I  don't  know  as  ever  I  see  or  heerd  of  any  man 
fighting  like  him,  nor  giving  so  much  trouble  to  kill.  I 
shot  him  twice,  another  stabbed  him  in  the  back,  another 
cut  him  over  the  shoulder,  and  I  see  the  cutlass  jammed 
there  so  as  not  to  be  drawed  out,  and  the  man  went  on 
fighting  some  minutes  after  that,  and  stabbed  Mr.  Chestree 
afore  he  dropped.  As  to  the  niggers,  they  was  like  sharks. 
Had  you  cut  'em  into  twenty  bits,  it's  my  belief  that  every 
piece  would  ha'  gone  on  fighting  in  its  own  account.  Talk 
o'  the  Mericans  not  having  spunk!  they're  bulldogs  in 
breeches,  sir;  and  jine  'em  with  British  sailors,  and  the 
whole  world  made  into  one  fleet  couldn't  resist  them." 

"No  doubt,  no  doubt.  Keep  close  to  the  ship,  bo' sun; 
the  captain  will  be  aboard  of  you  shortly;"  said  I,  and 
jumped  into  the  boat  and  was  rowed  back  to  the  prize. 

I  found  Shelvocke  at  the  gangway  waiting  for  me,  and 
the  moment  I  stepped  over  the  side  he  laid  hold  of  the  side 
ropes  in  his  impatience  to  be  gone,  and  stood  talking  to  me 
with  one  foot  on  the  ladder. 

"All  the  dead  are  overboard,"  said  he,  "and  you  will 
now  send  the  wounded  in  charge  of  Corney  to  the  schooner 
as  fast  as  you  can.  I  find  there  are  thirty  of  the  Tujress'' 
men  aboard  here,  of  whom  you  will  keep  fifteen ;  but  let  the 
whole  thirty  turn  to  at  once  and  solder  your  spars  and  rig- 
ging. There  are  twelve  prisoners  whom  you  had  better 
send  to  me.  You  may  also  tell  the  passengers  that  they  are 
at  liberty  to  remain  with  you  or  shift  themselves  into  the 
schooner." 


THE  NAMUR.  K    331 

I  touched  my  hat,  and  lie  dropped  into  the  boat. 

The  evening  that  had  insensibly  stolen  around  us  was  as 
lovely  and  clear  as  the  morning  had  been  thick  and  unsettled. 
The  wind  had  slackened  into  a  gentle  breeze  that  was  just 
brisk  enough  to  cool  one's  face  and  keep  the  water  twink- 
ling. The  setting  sun  was  filling  sea  and  sky  with 
heavenly  colors,  purple  in  the  west  and  amber  in  the  east, 
and  a  haze  of  pink  that  left  the  water-line  sharp  as  the  rim 
of  a  glass  lens  all  round  the  horizon,  and  overhead  a  deep, 
unspeakable  tropical  blue,  and  under  us  a  sea  of  melting 
green. 

My  first  and  pressing  duty  was  to  dispatch  the  wounded 
in  the  schooner's  cutter,  but  the  job  of  getting  the  poor 
creatures  into  her  was  one  of  the  most  painful  I  had  ever 
undertaken.  However,  it  was  imperatively  necessary  that 
they  should  be  transferred  to  the  Tigress,  as  there  would  be 
no  one  to  doctor  them  aboard  the  ship  when  Corney  was 
gone.  It  was  touching  to  see  how  tenderly  their  shipmates 
handled  them,  whispering  soothing  or  encouraging  words  as 
they  lowered  them  one  by  one  over  the  side.  Nor  were 
they  one  jot  less  humane  in  their  handling  of  the  wounded 
whites  of  the  ship' s  crew ;  but  though  they  were  merciful 
enough  with  the  blacks  and  mulattoes,  their  abhorrence  of 
them  was  strongly  expressed  in  their  faces  and  their  sharp 
disgustful  recoils  when  addressed  or  touched  by  them. 

"  You  wouldn't  believe  how  they  fought,  sir,"  said  Parell 
to  me.  "  One  of  them  was  found  dead  with  his  teeth  locked 
in  the  hand  of  Jim  Baines,  and  afore  they  could  get  the  poor 
fellow's  hand  out  of  the  brute's  mouth,  Mr.  Corney  had  to 
lash  a  couple  o'  marlinespikes  together  like  a  pair  o' 
shears,  and  even  ihen  it  took  two  of  us  to  prize  the  nigger's 
jaws  open." 

A  dismal  boatload  they  made :  to  this  day  my  memory  is 
haunted  by  the  white  men's  low  moans,  the  peculiar  short, 
thick  grunts  of  the  negroes,  the  hollow  suffering  faces,  the 
bloodstained  clothes,  the  rolling  eyes  of  the  blacks,  and 
their  shining  fangs  gleaming  betwixt  their  bulbous  drawn 
lips  and  giving  a  most  unearthly  character  to  the  ashen- 
black  of  their  faces.  Thankful  enough  I  was  when,  the 
last  man  having  been  lowered,  I  gave  the  order  to  the 
boat's  crew  to  shove  off.     I  then  turned  up  the  rest  of  the 


332         AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

men  to  refit,  and  went  below  to  offer  a  choice  of  vessels  to 
the  passengers. 

My  heart  thumped  as  I  descended  the  companion-steps. 
I  had  not  had  much  time  to  think  of  the  strangeness  of  this 
meeting  of  mine  with  Miss  Palmer;  and  though,  as  you 
know,  she  had  often  been  in  my  thoughts,  the  idea  that  in 
all  human  probability  we  should  never  meet  again  had 
stopped  me  from  realizing  the  tenacity  of  the  hold  taken  by 
the  grapnel  she  had  flung  into  my  heart  from  the  very  first 
moment  of  our  getting  alongside  of  one  another  at  the  Ply- 
mouth ball.  I  appreciated  the  strength  of  that  grip  now, 
and  understood  its  significance  by  the  uncomfortably  nervous 
flutter  that  bothered  my  brain,  like  an  angry  popple  under 
a  light  craft. 

But  shove  ahead,  men — shove  ahead!  So  down  I  went, 
wondering  whether.it  was  my  nerves  or  the  temperature  that 
made  my  face  burn,  and  plumped  headlong  among  the  pas- 
sengers, every  one  of  whom — baby  and  all — was  assembled 
near  the  table,  sitting  or  standing. 

Hat  in  hand,  I  made  them  a  polite  bow,  and  immediately 
perceived  that  not  one  of  them  recognized  in  me  the  ghastly 
figure  that  had  confronted  them  three-quarters  of  an  hour 
before.  Miss  Palmer  was  standing  near  Colonel  Bray,  and 
the  moment  I  hove  in  sight  she  fixed  her  eyes  upon  me — 
that  much  I  saw — and  I  also  noticed  that  she  eyed  me 
intently,  and  that  a  little  color  stole  into  her  cheeks. 

"  I  am  deputed  by  the  commander  of  the  schooner,  ladies 
and  gentlemen,"  said  I,  "to  inform  you  that  both  vessels 
will  be  under  sail  shortly,  and  that  if  any  of  you  would 
prefer  to  occupy  the  schooner  for  the  remainder  of  the 
journey,  you  will  be  very  welcome  to  such  accommodation 
as  she  has  to  offer. " 

The  gentlemen  looked  at  one  another,  and  then  at  the 
ladies. 

"We  are  extremely  obliged  for  the  offer,"  said  Colonel 
Bray.  "  I  have  the  pleasure,  I  presume,  of  addressing  one 
oi  the  officers  of  the  vessel  to  whose  gallant  crew  we  are 
indebted  for  our  rescue?" 

'  I  am  her  chief  mate,  sir,"  I  replied  with  a  bow. 

"I  have  been  examining  your  schooner  through  my  cabin 
window,"  continued  the  colonel,  "and  observe  that  she  is  a 


THE  NAMtJR.  333 

very  beautiful,  powerful,  and  well-armed  boat.  After  our 
disastrous  experience  in  this  Indiaman,  whose  crew,  I  regret 
to  say,  struck  to  the  American  privateer  without  firing  a 
shot — without  firing  a  shot,"  he  repeated  warmly  and 
indignantly — "  I,  for  one,  am  strongly  disposed  to  accept 
your  captain's  polite  offer  to  use  his  vessel." 

"  But  will  the  gentleman  be  pleased  to  tell  us  whether 
we  run  any  danger  by  remaining  in  this  vessel?"  exclaimed 
a  dusty-looking,  big-nosed,  black-eyed  old  man,  whose 
yellow  fingers  were  brilliant  with  rings,  and  under  whose 
highly  flowered  waistcoat  there  hung,  by  the  bight  of  a 
chain,  enough  seals  and  gewgaws  to  furnish  out  a  jeweller's 
shop. 

"Mr.  Jonas  Solomons,  sir,"  said  Colonel  Bray,  introduc- 
ing the  old  fellow  to  me  with  a  wave  of  the  hand. 

"Why,  Mr.  Solomons,"  I  replied,  "the  schooner  is  not 
only  the  better-armed,  but  she  will  be  the  better-manned 
vessel.  But  as  she  will  convoy  us,  and  as  the  run  to  King- 
ston cannot  prove  a  very  long  one,  I  do  not  see,  as  regards 
the  security  offered,  that  there  will  be  much  to  choose 
between  the  two  vessels." 

"You  hear  what  the  gentleman  says,  Jonas,"  said  Mrs. 
Solomons,  fanning  her  fat,  treble-chinned  face,  and  resem- 
bling an  inflated  balloon  in  the  green  silk  dress  she  had 
substituted  for  the  gown  that  had  been  ripped  off  her  back. 
"Mind,  I  leave  it  to  you!" 

"  Who  will  command  this  ship,  thir?"  asked  Mr. 
Solomons. 

"I,"  I  replied. 

"What  do  you  say,  Mr.  Culpepper?"  observed  Colonel 
Bray,  addressing  the  yellow-faced  man  in  gaiters. 

"  Why,  I  am  certainly  for  placing  myself  under  the  guar- 
dianship of  our  brave  rescuers,"  replied  Mr.  Culpepper. 
"In  simpler  language,"  he  added,  pulling  out  a  snuff-box, 
"I'm  for  the  schooner." 

"And  so  am  I,"  said  Mrs.  Montague,  a  red-faced,  rather 
untidy-looking  woman,  slackly  rigged  about  the  bosom  and 
with  her  cap  awry,  as  if  most  of  her  time  was  spent  in 
nursing  the  baby  and  fighting  with  it.  "  When  I  think  of 
the  risk  my  blessed  tootle-torums  has  run,  I  vow  I  would 
rather  finish  the  voyage  on  a  bare  raft  in  company  with  our 


334  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

brave  rescuers  than  in  this  dreadful  ship;"  and  here  she 
snatched  her  baby  from  the  nurse,  threw  her  spare  arm 
round  the  neck  of  a  girl  of  about  fourteen  years  old,  was 
clasped  round  the  waist  by  another  daughter  who  looked 
like  a  full-grown  woman,  and  a  most  pathetic  tableau  was 
formed,  the  effect  of  which  was  considerably  heightened  by 
both  daughters  sobbing  and  the  baby  screaming. 

"  You  will  please  understand  that  some  of  the  men 
belonging  to  the  schooner  will  act  as  prize-crew  under  me  in 
this  ship,"  said  I,  when  the  baby  had  done  crying,  and 
looking  as  I  spoke  at  Miss  Palmer;  there  was  a  little  smile 
in  her  eyes,  and  I  saw  that  she  knew  me.  "  I  merely  say 
this  in  order  that  those  among  you  who  decide  to  remain  in 
this  vessel  may  know  that  they  will  be  under  the  guardian- 
sihp  of  a  portion  of  the  people  whom  Mr.  Culpepper  is  good 
enough  to  call  your  brave  rescuers." 

"I  should  prefer  the  schooner,"  said  Colonel  Bray. 

"  And  that  is  my  choice, "  exclaimed  Mr.  Culpepper. 

"  Ladies  and  gentlemen,"  said  I,  "  I  have  to  ask  that  those 
among  you  who  wish  to  be  transferred  to  the  schooner  will 
be  good  enough  to  immediately  collect  such  articles  as  they 
may  wish  to  take  with  them.  Darkness  will  be  upon  us 
shortly,  and  time  presses." 

Colonel  Bray,  Mr.  Johnson,  Mr.  Culpepper,  Mrs. 
Montague  and  family  rushed  into  their  cabins.  Mr. 
Solomons  flung  himself  down  upon  a  chair,  and  was  im- 
mediately attacked  by  his  wife. 

"Now,  what  do  you  mean  to  do,  Jonas?" 

"  I  am  very  comfortable  here,  and  I  shall  stop,  my  dear." 

"Mind  what  you  say!  The  pirates  that's  been  turned 
out  of  this  ship  aren't  the  only  ones  on  the  sea." 

'  I  don't  care  about  other  pirates.  All  my  goods  are 
in  this  ship,  and  here  I  stop." 

•  Was  there  ever  such  a  man !  He  thinks  of  his  goods  as 
if  he  hadn't  got  a  life  to  lose.  Do  you  hear  what  I  tell 
you,  Jonas?" 

Here  Tapping,  limping  heavily  from  a  wound  in  his  foot, 
came  stumping  down  the  companion-steps  like  a  wooden- 
legged  man. 

'  The  boat  has  returned,  sir,  from  taking  the  wounded  to 
the  schooner." 


THE  NAMtm.  335 

"Very  well,  Mr.  Tapping.  Arm  the  men,  and  get  the 
prisoners  on  deck.  They  are  to  be  transferred  to  the 
Tigress  at  once." 

"Right,  sir!"  and  he  went  up  the  steps  again.  As  I 
looked  around,  Miss  Palmer  came  up  to  me  with  her  hand 
extended. 

"  Do  not  you  remember  me,  Mr.  Madison?"  she  exclaimed. 

"Indeed  I  do,  Miss  Palmer,"  I  answered,  holding  her 
hand.  "  I  saw  and  knew  you  when  you  saw  but  did  not 
know  me." 

"  No,  do  not  say  that.  I  recognized  you  the  moment  you 
entered  the  cabin,  though  I  was  too  much  surprised  to 
speak." 

"  Surely  you  did  not  recognize  me  when  I  had  a  hand- 
kerchief over  my  grimy  face?"  I  exclaimed,  laughing. 

"Was  that  you!"  she  answered,  much  astonished. 
"Why,  it  looked  like  a  dying  man!  You  are  not 
wounded?" 

"  Very  slightly — nothing  worth  mentioning.  Miss  Pal- 
mer, you  cannot  imagine  how  proud  and  glad  I  am  that  the 
little  Tigress  should  have  been  the  instrument  of  saving  you 
from  a  voyage  to  America,  and  God  knows  how  long  a 
detention  there.  But  tell  me  now — for  time  presses — which 
vessel  would  you  prefer  to  remain  in?" 

"I  would  like  to  be  guided  by  you,  Mr.  Madison,"  she 
replied. 

"As  I  am  to  take  command  here,"  said  I,  feeling  that  I 
blushed  a  little,  but  talking  on  pretty  bravely,  "you  may 
guess  what  my  wish  would  be.  But  I  should  not  like  to 
influence.  I  may  say,  however,  that  as  the  Tigress  will 
hold  us  in  sight,  and  as  the  journey  to  Kingston  will  not 
occupy  much  time,  you  may  believe  that  you  will  be  as  safe 
with  me  as  with  Captain  Shelvocke." 

She  turned  to  the  couple  who  were  arguing  at  the 
table. 

"  Mrs.  Solomons,  do  you  intend  to  stop  in  the  Namur  ?" 
she  asked. 

"  Yes,  yes,  miss,  we  shall  stop,"  responded  Mr.  Solomons. 

"  Listen  to  the  man !  he  thinks  only  of  his  goods !"  rattled 
out  Mrs.  Solomons.  "Does  he  know  what  he  means?  Be 
pleased  to  tell  him,  mister,  what  he  risks  by  stopping!" 


336  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

"He  really  risks  nothing  that  I  know  of,"  I  answered, 
seeing  the  importance  of  prevailing  upon  these  people  to 
stay  where  they  were,  as  it  would  be  out  of  the  question 
that  Miss  Palmer  could  stop  unless  some  other  lady 
remained    also. 

"You  hear  him,  my  dear;  now  don't  bother  me  any 
more,"  remonstrated  Solomons,  shrugging  his  shoulders, 
and  extending  his  hands,  and  looking  very  worried. 

"Mind,  then!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Solomons,  "this  is  your 
doing.  1  have  left  it  to  you.  It's  you  as  decides.  If 
harm  comes,  it'll  be  your  fault,  Jonas:  so  mind!" 

And  she  bustled  into  Mrs.  Montague's  cabin,  where  I 
heard  her  abuse  her  husband  to  that  lady  as  a  weak-minded 
old  man. 

"As  they  have  decided  to  remain,  I  too  will  take  my 
chance  with  you,"  said  Miss  Palmer,  addressing  me  with  a 
smile.  "  I  am  sure  I  shall  be  as  safe  here  as  in  the  Tigress, 
and  certainly  more  comfortable,  as  I  do  not  suppose  your 
schooner  will  have  a  cabin  like  this." 

"No,  indeed,"  I  replied,  overjoyed  by  the  prospect  of 
her  company. 

She  must  have  remarked  my  delight,  for  she  looked  away 
with  a  little  tremor  of  the  eyelids— not  a  smile,  and  yet 
with  more  significance  in  it  than  a  smile  could  have  held, 
which  so  confused  me  that  to  remedy  my  embarrassment  I 
went  the  round  of  the  berths,  bidding  their  inmates  make 
haste  and  join  me  on  deck,  and  then  quitted  the  cabin. 

I  was  in  great  spirits;  my  heels  never  felt  lighter;  I 
would  have  foregone  all  my  prize-money  sooner  than  this 
meeting  with  Miss  Palmer.  And  yet,  what  was  she  to 
me?  Worse  still,  what  was  I  to  her?  Could  I  be  ass 
enough  to  suppose  that  she  had  ever  given  the  young  fellow 
she  had  danced  with  at  Plymouth  a  single  thought  from 
the  moment  I  had  said  good-by  to  her  down  to  this  par- 
ticular hour?  AYhat  on  earth,  then,  was  there  in  her  ar- 
ranging to  stop  on  board  the  ship  that  was  like  to  set  me 
whistling  for  happiness  as  any  school-boy  would? 

Here  I  knocked  my  hat  against  the  top  of  the  companion, 
and  crushed  it  over  my  nose,  and  when  I  raised  it  I  was  on 
deck  confronting  the  American « privateersmen,  who  had 
been  brought  up  from  below,  and  stood  in  a  group  near  the 


THE  NAMUR.  33? 

gangway,  and  their  lovely  countenances  speedily  clapped  a 
stopper  on  my  romancing. 

There  were  twelve  of  them,  two  coal-black  Africans,  a 
few  mulattoes,  and  the  rest  white  men ;  and  of  all  the  ras- 
cally creatures  I  ever  beheld,  I  think  these  were  the  worst. 
Tapping  had  taken  the  precaution  to  pinion  their  wrists 
behind  them  as  they  emerged  one  by  one  from  the  fore- 
hatch,  and  it  was  impossible  to  see  their  scowling,  gleaming 
eyes  wandering  upon  the  weapons  in  our  men's  hands  with- 
out applauding  his  discretion.  The  blacks  and  mulattoes 
were  nearly  naked;  the  white  men  wore  shirts;  they  were 
all  of  them  exceedingly  powerful  men  especially  the 
negroes,  upon  whose  naked  flesh  the  muscles  stood  out  as 
you  may  see  them  on  the  shoulders  and  haunches  of  strain- 
ing cart-horses.  They  were  handed  over  the  side  like 
carcasses,  and  deposited  in  the  boat,  half  of  them  aft  and 
half  forward,  a  number  of  armed  seamen  stood  over  them, 
and  presently  they  were  alongside  the  schooner. 

By  this  time  the  passengers  had  arrived  on  deck,  and  I 
sent  some  men  below  to  bring  up  the  parcels  and  cases  which 
they  desired  to  take  with  them  to  the  Tigress.  They  ap- 
peared to  realize  their  rescue  here  more  completely  than  in 
the  cabin.  I  saw  Mr.  Culpepper  look  around  him  with  strong 
emotion  expressed  in  his  face;  Mr.  Johnson  grasped  my 
hand  and  held  it,  without  speaking;  indeed,  by  a  hundred 
nice  tokens  which  cannot  be  expressed  in  words,  they  all  of 
them  appeared  deeply  affected  by  the  sudden  and  happy 
change  that  had  been  wrought  in  their  condition. 

Miss  Palmer  went  to  the  rail  and  leaned  upon  it,  watch- 
ing the  schooner.  The  sun  was  still  above  the  sea,  but  he 
would  vanish  in  another  ten  minutes ;  the  great  and  peace- 
ful glory  in  the  west,  the  calm,  soft  blue  of  the  sky  over- 
head, the  graceful  shape  of  the  schooner  rolling  gently  on 
the  swelling  green  of  the  water  that  was  gradually  trans- 
muted into  a  sheet  of  flashing  gold  as  it  neared  the  sun, 
formed  a  scene  that  must  have  given  a  particular  richness 
to  the  sense  and  relish  of  the  liberty  that  had  come  to  these 
people  who,  a  short  time  ago,  were  prisoners  on  their  way 
to  a  bitter  exile  in  an  enemy's  country. 

"  Is  that  the  vessel,  mister,  that  fought  this  ship?':  asked 
Mrs.  Solomons  of  me,  pointing  to  the  schooner.     - 
22 


338  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

"Yes,  that  is  she,  madam,"  I  replied,  accepting  the 
inquiry  as  a  preface  to  something  laudatory. 

"Well,  when  I  looks  at  her,"  says  she,  "I  don't  know 
but  what  Jonas  is  right  after  all.  She's  but  a  little  ship, 
mister,  and  I  dare  say  rolls  fearful." 

"Ay,  she  rolls  fearfully,  Mrs.  Solomons:  you'd  never  be 
able  to  keep  your  footing  in  her.  However,  I'll  say  noth- 
ing about  the  smallness  of  her  cabins,  and  the  heat  of  them, 
and  the  cockroaches,  ma'am,  for  they  cannot  concern  you 
now  that  you  have  been  clever  enough  to  decide  on  remain- 
ing in  this  large,  roomy,  cool,  and  beautifully  furnished 
ship,"  said  I,  determined  to  disgust  out  of  her  any  linger- 
ing wish  she  might  have  to  accompany  the  others — for,  as 
I  have  said,  if  she  went,  Miss  Palmer  would  have  to  go  too. 

She  nodded  cunningly,  and  I  rather  think  she  winked. 

"Ah,"  she  whispered,  "Mr.  Solomons  is  no  fool.  He 
knows  what's  good.  Are  you  the  captain  of  this  vessel, 
sir?" 

"  I  shall  have  charge  of  her,  as  I  think  I  informed  you." 

"  Well,  I'm  pleased  to  hear  it.  You  looks  a  good  sailor. 
Lor',  to  think  of  our  being  rescued  from  them  savages,  and 
me  calling  upon  death  this  very  day  sooner  than  be  carried 
off  to  Ameriky  along  with  two  thousand  o'  pounds  worth  of 
goods  belonging  to  Mr.  Solomons,  and  which  he  was  only 
saying  to  me  just  before  your  ship  took  to  firing  at  us — 
'Rachel,'  he  says " 

The  interesting  creature's  confidences  were  interrupted 
by  a  fellow  in  the  maintop  bawling  out  "From  under!" 
and  I  had  just  time  to  trundle  her  out  of  the  road,  before 
the  port  mizzen-topsail  brace,  the  end  of  which  had  been 
accidentally  let  go,  unrove  itself  and  fell  heavily  in  a  heap 
where  she  had  been  standing.  Uttering  various  exclama- 
tions of  alarm,  and  fanning  herself  violently,  my  porpoise- 
shaped  beauty  waddled  or  rolled  to  the  companion,  and 
disappeared  in  search  of  her  Jonas. 

Presently  the  cutter  returned  from  the  schooner,  and  the 
passengers  entered  her,  shaking  hands  with  me  as  they  went 
over  the  side.  The  sun  sank  as  they  put  off,  and  the  dark- 
ness came  rolling  down  upon  us  like  a  curtain  out-  of  the 
east.  But  by  this  time  most  of  the  refitting  aloft  was  com- 
pleted; the  running-gear  had  been  rove  afresh,  new  fore  and 


THE  NAMtJft.  339 

mizzen  topsails  bent,  tackles  got  on  to  the  injured  standing 
rigging,  and  the  decks  so  effectually  cleared  that,  beyond, 
sundry  dark  stains  here  and  there  and  splashes  upon  the 
paint  of  the  bulwarks,  no  relic  of  the  dreadful  carnage  that 
had  made  a  very  shambles  of  the  Indiaman  was  visible. 

Once  more  the  cutter  returned  with  orders  from  Shelvocke 
to  me,  to  keep  fifteen  men  and  Parell,  making  sixteen,  as 
a  prize-crew,  and  to  send  the  rest  of  the  Tigresses  back  to 
the  schooner.  At  the  same  time  some  written  instructions 
from  Shelvocke  respecting  day  and  night  signals,  etc.,  were 
placed  in  my  hand.  The  men  were  mustered,  a  prize-crew 
singled  out,  and  the  remainder  repaired  on  board  the 
Tigress,  who  fired  a  gun  as  a  signal  for  us  to  brace  round 
the  mainyards;  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  ship  was  gliding 
slowly  through  the  water,  with  the  dark  shadow  of  the 
schooner  blotting  out  the  stars  to  windward,  and  a  thin, 
greenish,  fiery  wake  trailing  slowly  away  under  our  taffrail 
into  the  dark  waters  of  the  east. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

MY    PASSENGERS. 

The  night  came  down  very  dark  but  clear,  and  the  sky 
was  so  crowded  with  stars  that  scores  of  them  were  blotted 
out  by  the  meteors  as  they  broke  and  vanished  in  clouds  of 
silver  dust.  The  men  had  come  from  aloft,  and  were  in  the 
forcastle,  swinging  their  hammocks  and  taking  a  spell  of 
rest  after  the  heavy  exertions  of  the  day ;  the  ship  was 
under  three  topsails,  courses,  and  fore-and-aft  canvas,  in 
deep  shadow,  save  where  a  bright  light  burning  in  the  galley 
threw  a  glare  across  the  deck — a  yellow  beam  that  floated 
upon  the  darkness  like  an  elongated  ignis  fatuus — and 
threw  up  a  short  length  of  the  rusty  links  of  the  chain- 
cable,  and  glanced  upon  the  half  of  a  large  water-cask,  and 
a  coil  of  rope  slung  over  a  belaying-pin,  and  a  space  of  the 
perpendicular  bulwarks  heavily  fractured  by  a  cannon- 
shot. 

"Is  that  you,  Parell?"  I  called  out. 

"Yes,  sir;"  and  as  he  emerged  from  the  darkness  and 
passed  through  the  glare  from  the  galley,  he  looked  like  a 
figure  cut  in  ebony. 

"  What  sort  of  a  job  have  the  men  made  of  it  aloft?"  I 
asked. 

"  As  good  a  job  as  can  be  expected,  sir.  I  rather  think 
there's  a  square  topgallant -mast  among  the  booms,  and  if 
it's  fine  weather  to-morrow  we  might  make  shift  to  rig  him 
up  and  cross  the  yards." 

'  Yes,  that  and  other  jobs  can  be  done  to-morrow. 
Who's  that  in  the  galley,  there?" 

"Peter  Larkins,  sir,  he's  getting  the  men's  supper  for 
them." 

"He's  a  bit  of  a  cook,  I've  heard,  and  you  had  better 
appoint  him  to  the  galley.     Also  let  young  Ransom  wait 


MY  PASSENGERS.  341 

upon  us  aft.     Have  you  heard  what  has  become  of   the 
officers  and  crew  of  this  ship?" 

"Why,  sir,  I  believe  Mr.  Corney  fished  out  some  news 
from  one  of  the  wounded,  and  it  was  this.  The  wessei  that 
attacked  this  ship  was  a  large  Yankee  privateer  brig,  and 
the  JVamur's  skipper  struck  to  her  without  firing  a  shot. 
The  'Merican  captain  came  aboard  and  ordered  the  whole 
of  the  crew  as  well  as  the  officers  to  be  shifted  into  his  brig, 
no  doubt  in  the  hope  of  getting  'em  to  sarve  under  the 
stripes  and  stars,  which  was  likely  enough  they'd  do  with- 
out much  persuading,  seeing  what  curs  they  proved  their- 
selves  when  they  were  called  on  to  surrender.  He  likewise 
took  out  three  passengers — males — one  of  'em  a  chap  with 
a  title.  In  the  room  of  the  Namur's  crew  he  put  in  fifty 
of  his  own  beauties,  twenty-five  of  'em  negroes  and  colored 
men,  and  gave  command  to  the  chief  mate — him  with  the 
red  cap — and  ordered  him  to  make  the  best  of  his  way  to 
Chesapeake  Bay,  which  they  calculated  they  was  doin' 
when  the  Tigress  stepped  in  and  altered  their  course." 

This  information  was  no  doubt  accurate,  and  it  explained 
away  one  source  of  puzzlement  that  had  pretty  considerably 
bothered  me  since  I  had  found  time  to  look  around;  I  mean 
the  total  disappearance  of  everybody  barring  the  passengers, 
who  were  in  the  ship  before  she  was  taken  by  the  privateer. 

"Very  well,  Parell;  keep  a  lookout  while  I  go  below  and 
get  something  to  eat.  Send  Ransom  aft,  and  be  careful  to 
keep  the  schooner's  light  well  in  view;"  and  after  taking  a 
peep  at  the  compass  I  made  my  way  into  the  cabin. 

The  lamps  had  been  lighted  some  time  before,  and  the 
cabin  looked  amazingly  brilliant  with  its  tall  sparkling 
mirrors,  and  the  gleaming,  marble-colored  mizzen-mast,  and 
the  shimmer  of  the  lights  in  the  rich,  dark  panelling.  The 
table  was  still  littered  with  the  ham,  plates,  decanters,  and 
biscuits ;  but  the  disorder  of  these  homely  articles  did  not 
impair  the  drawing-room  elegance  and  charming  air  of 
refinement  that  characterized  this  richly  cushioned,  car- 
peted, and  delicately  colored  interior.  Miss  Palmer,  who 
had  left  the  deck  shortly  after  dusk,  was  seated  in  a  low 
arm-chair,  with  her  hands  folded  upon  her  lap,  and  ap- 
parently lost  in  thought.  Opposite  her,  in  another  chair, 
with  his  feet  cocked  up,  lay  Mr.  Solomons,  fast  asleep,  and 


342  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

snoring  with  a  noise  like  a  straining  timber.  Mrs.  Solo* 
mons  was  in  her  berth,  and  I  could  hear  her  talking  to  her- 
self as  she  shambled  about. 

Miss  Palmer  looked  heartily  pleased  to  see  me.  Her  face 
brightened  up,  and  she  warmed  quickly  and  gracefully  into 
life  out  of  her  reverie  like  a  flower  under  the  rising  sun. 
(Rather  poetical,  this,  for  a  nautical  man;  but  I  never  can 
think  of  her  without  drifting  into  garden  fancies.) 

"  I  am  afraid  you  will  find  the  rest  of  the  voyage  dull, 

now  that  no  society  is  left  you  but "  and  I  motioned 

with  my  head  to  old  Jonas. 

"  Dull,  Mr.  Madison?  Do  you  imagine  I  am  dull  because 
you  find  me  sitting  here  with  my  hands  before  me?  Were 
you  to  ask  me  how  I  feel,  I  should  not  be  able  to  tell  you. 
I  can  hardly  believe  that  I  am  not  dreaming.  Last  night  I 
nearly  cried  my  eyes  out  in  thinking  of  my  father.  I 
remember  telling  you  he  was  ill,  and  that  I  was  going  to 
Jamaica  in  the  hope  of  inducing  him  to  return  with  me. 
\Yhen  I  thought  of  my  being  forced  away  into  another  part 
of  the  world,  at  a  time  when  our  voyage  was  near  its  close, 
and  that  months  must  pass  before  he  and  I  could  meet — if 
ever  we  met  in  this  world  again — and  that  he  might  die 
without  knowing  what  had  become  of  me — was  it  not 
enough  to  break  my  heart,  Mr.  Madison?  And  now  that 
I  am  with  friends  again,  and  a  dreadful  time — oh,  how 
dreadful  a  time! — past,  and  once  more  on  my  way  to  my 
dear  father — can  you  suppose  me  dull?  Surely  that  is  like 
charging  me  with  cruel  ingratitude:  though  how  grateful  I 
am,  to  God  first  for  His  merciful  providence  in  bringing 
you  to  our  ship,  and  to  you  next,  and  your  brave  men,  for 
your  noble  and  heroic  struggle,  only  my  own  heart  knows — 
no  words  could  express  my  thankfulness." 

She  rose  from  her  chair  with  her  eyes  swimming,  and 
grasped  my  hand  with  both  hers  and  held  it,  unconsciously 
caressing  it  in  the  plentitude  of  her  gratitude  and  emotion. 
The  touch  of  her  hands  set  my  heart  beating  so  furiously, 
that  lor  the  life  of  me  I  could  not  immediately  have  spoken 
to  her.  Fortunately  she  was  as  much  moved  as  I,  though 
in  a  different  way,  and  did  not  (as  I  believe)  observe  how 
consumedly  upset  I  was. 

'  You  told  me  you  had  been  slightly  wounded,"  said  she 


MY  PASSENGERS.  343 

presently,  resuming  her  seat.     "  I  hope  only  slightly,  and 
that  you  are  quite  well  again?" 

"A  little  tap  on  the  pate— just  here,  Miss  Palmer,"  I 
answered,  touching  the  top  of  my  head.  "  Not  enough  to 
let  out  my  foolishness,  nor  to  admit  some  of  the  intellect  I 
stand  in  need  of.  Have  you  had  anything  to  eat  to-day?" 
said  I,  struck  by  an  idea. 

"  Nothing  since  breakfast — though  I  really  should  not 
have  known  we  had  not  dined  but  for  your  question,"  she 
answered,  smiling.     "  We  were  all  too  miserable  to  eat." 

I  looked  at  the  ham  on  the  table. 

"Oh!"  she  exclaimed,  following  my  glance,  "the  odious 
man  in  a  red  cap  who  took  command  here  when  our  captain 
was  carried  away,  called  for  those  things,  and  was  begin- 
ning his  meal,  when  somebody  came  down  to  say  that  a  sail 
was  in  sight — your  schooner,  as  it  afterward  proved.  He 
jumped  up,  and  left  those  things  as  you  see  them.  Oh, 
Mr.  Madison,  what  a  horrid — horrid — horrid  creature  he 
was!"  she  added  with  a  stroDg  shudder,  and  putting  an 
almost  vicious  energy  into  the  last  "horrid;"  "so  rude,  so 
hideous,  so  gross!" 

Here  Mr.  Solomons,  as  if  sympathizing  with  her  lan- 
guage, gasped  loudly  in  his  sleep,  wheezed,  and  gargled 
through  his  nose,  "Not  them  goods,  thir!  they're  mine: 
two  thousand  pounds  worth.  Rachel  was  with  me 
when "   snore. 

"Happy  old  man  that!"  said  I.  "The  one  beautiful 
thing  about  old  age  is  its  quality  of  indifference.  Here, 
Ransom!"  I  sung  out,  in  so  loud  a  voice  that  old  Solomons 
woke  up  in  a  fright,  and  stared  at  me  with  his  eyes  rounded 
like  an  owl's ;  and  at  the  same  moment  Mrs.  Solomons  came 
bundling  out  of  her  cabin ;  "  get  the  cloth  laid  here,  my 
lad.  I'll  show  you  how  to  place  the  knives  and  forks. 
Yonder' s  the  pantry — overhaul  it  and  make  the  best  show 
you  can,  and  bear  a  hand." 

The  youngster  whom  I  had  noticed  flitting  at  the  head 
of  the  companion-ladder  came  trotting  below,  and  went  to 
work  with  more  adroitness  than  I  had  expected.  It  is  true 
he  set  the  glasses  upside  down,  and  the  plates  in  the  middle 
of  the  table,  and  the  cold  meats  which  he  found  in  the 
pantry  he  lumped  together  like  a  dozen  colliers  which  had 


344         AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

parted  their  cables  and  gone  adrift  in  a  body;  but  Miss 
Palmer  and  I  soon  effected  such  a  distribution  of  the  crock- 
ery as  made  the  table  very  hospitable  and  glittering,  and  I 
presently  had  the  happiness  of  seeing  my  three  passengers 
making  a  good  supper. 

"Now,  Rachel,"  exclaimed  Solomons,  pegging  away  at  a 
cold  fowl,  and  talking  with  his  mouth  full,  "  isn't  this  com- 
fort? What  more  would  you  have?  Did  you  want  to  box 
me  up  in  the  little  wooden  cabin  of  a  butter-rigged  schooner?" 

"Not  butter-rigged,  Mr.  Solomons,"  said  I. 

"Well,  well,"  he  said  with  a  shrug,  "then  she  shan't  be 
butter-rigged ;  but  you  won't  pretend  that  she  has  such  a 
cabin  as  this,  sir?" 

"I  don't  say  I  wasn't  a  little  hasty,  Jonas,"  answered 
his  wife,  whose  enormous  person,  as  she  sat  at  the  table, 
completely  overhung  her  plate,  and  obliged  her  to  look  at 
her  fork  every  time  she  lifted  it  to  know  what  she  was  eat- 
ing. "Mister,  might  I  trouble  you  for  a  bit  of  that 
tongue?" 

"Miss  Palmer,"  said  I,  holding  up  a  bottle  of  champagne 
which  Ransom  had  discovered  in  the  pantry  along  with 
various  other  bottles  of  wines  and  spirits,  including  two  of 
Jamaica  rum,  all  of  which  he  had  very  faithfully  and 
honorably  put  upon  the  table,  where  they  stood  in  a  lump 
like  a  wine-merchant's  "order"  ready  for  delivery,  "when 
I  last  had  the  happiness  of  drinking  champagne  with  you, 
I  little  thought  that  our  next  meeting  would  be  on  the  high 
seas,  and  amid  the  thunder  of  a  sterner  kind  of  cannon  than 
those  which  Sir  William  Tempest  fired  in  honor  of  his  son. 
Will  you  let  me  fill  your  glass?  Such  a  triumph  as  ours 
over  the  Yankees  deserves  to  be  drunk  in  an  elegant  wine." 

She  smiled  with  a  pretty  color  in  her  face  that  made  her 
eyes  sparkle;  but  the  poetry  of  drinking  wine  in  champagne 
with  this  sweet  girl  was  balked  by  Solomons  calling  for  the 
buttle.  I  verily  believe  the  old  fool  thought  I  had  proposed 
a  toast.  The  result  was  we  all  drank  to  one  another,  and 
I  was  nearly  convulsed  by  the  how  and  smirk  Mrs.  Solomons 
bestowed  on  me.  A  bow  did  I  call  it?  It  was  rather  the 
compression  of  a  balloon,  or  like  standing  a  feather-bed  on 
end,  and  squeezng  down  the  top  of  it.  There  was  no  incli- 
nation forward :  it  was  merely  a  lowering  of  the  head,  and 


MY  PASSENGERS.  345 

a  surprising  increase  of  the  rotundity  of  the  body;  and  her 
very  gown  shone  under  the  tightening  effect  of  her  labori- 
ous amiability. 

"I  see  that  you  have  met  Miss  Palmer  before,  mister," 
said  Solomons.  Both  he  and  his  wife  evidently  thought 
the  "  mister"  as  polite  a  form  of  accost  as  the  strictest  good- 
breeding  required. 

"Yes,  Mr.  Solomons,  I  have  had  that  pleasure,"  I 
replied,  glancing  at  Miss  Palmer,  and  receiving  a  smile 
from  her. 

"I  met  Mr.  Madison  at  Plymouth  a  few  days  before  the 
Namur  sailed,  Mr.  Solomons,"  said  Miss  Palmer.  Her 
voice  was  so  full  of  music,  that  it  was  a  greater  treat  to 
hear  her  speak  than  to  listen  to  a  good  singer.  "  It  was 
but  a  short  acquaintance,  Mr.  Madison." 

"  Acquaintances  are  always  short  when  they're  first  made, 
my  dear,"  said  Mrs.  Solomons,  with  an  encouraging  nod. 
"  But  I  dare  say,  mister,  you  was  very  surprised  when  you 
saw  her  here,  wasn't  you?" 

"Sailors  soon  lose  the  faculty  of  surprise,"  I  replied 
coldly,  not  relishing  the  direction  the  conversation  was  tak- 
ing in  her  hands.  "  I  have  not  yet  looked  into  the  berths, 
Miss  Palmer;  can  you  tell  me  if  our  shot  have  done  much 
damage?" 

"Damage!"  cried  Solomons;  "Lord  bless  your  heart,  I 
should  say  there's  not  less  than  twelve  pounds'  worth  of 
windies  broken." 

"Several  windows  are  broken,  Mr.  Madison,"  said  Miss 
Palmer,  keeping  her  face  with  admirable  breeding.  "  The 
window  in  my  cabin  was  broken  by  one  of  the  first  shots 
the  Tigress  fired,  and  a  whole  shower  of  glass  fell  over  me." 

"I  was  sitting,"  said  Mrs.  Solomons,  in  a  well-soaped, 
confidential  voice,  and  nodding  her  head  at  every  other 
word  until  her  chins  quivered  over  her  collar  like  jellies  to 
the  tread  of  dancers,  "talkin'  to  Mr.  Solomons,  and  he  was 
calculating  how  much  it  would  cost  him  to  get  us  out  of 
prison  after  he  was  in  Ameriky,  when  a  cannon-ball  hit  the 
back  of  the  ship  just  against  the  wall  where  my  cheer  was. 
The  blow  was  that  violent  it  throwed  me  on  to  the  floor, 
and  when  I  begged  and  prayed  of  Mr.  Solomons  to  help  me 
up,  where  do  you  think  he  was,  mister?" 


346         AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

"I  cannot  guess." 

"  Why,  in  bed,  sir ;  with  the  counterpane  pulled  over  his 
head,  and  the  toes  of  his  boots  sticking  up  at  the  other 
end?" 

"  A  very  good  place  to  be  in, "  said  I,  looking  at  Solomons, 
who  was  picking  the  leg  of  a  fowl  with  a  dogged  face.  "  I 
understand  from  one  of  my  men,  Miss  Palmer,  that  the 
privateersman  carried  off  three  of  the  passengers.  Why 
was  that?" 

"I  cannot  imagine,  Mr.  Madison.  The  American  cap- 
tain came  into  this  cabin  with  a  number  of  men,  and  ordered 
Captain  Salmon"  (the  skipper  of  the  Namur)  "  to  produce 
his  passengers.  We  were  desired  to  stand  up  in  a  row,  as 
though  we  were  felons,"  she  said,  with  her  face  flushing 
with  the  memory  of  the  indignity,  "  and  were  then  asked 
our  names." 

"True;  every  word  of  it,  mister,"  interrupted  Mrs.  Solo- 
mons; "and  Mr.  Solomons  was  for  calling  himself  Levi." 

"And  wasn't  I  right  to  try  to  cheat  'em?''  shouted 
Solomons.  "Rachel,  don't  quote  me  any  more,  for  God's 
sake.     I'm  sick  of  hearing  you." 

"  After  we  had  given  our  names,"  continued  Miss  Palmer, 
"  the  American  captain  ordered  Captain  Salmon  and  three 
of  the  passengers — one  of  them  Sir  Sampson  Jardine,  a 
judge,  and  the  other  two  rich  plantation-owners — to  go  on 
deck.  They  did  not  return  and  we  saw  no  more  of  them. 
We  were  afterward  told  they  had  been  sent  to  the  privateer." 

"  Did  not  the  Namur  make  one  of  a  convoy  when  she  left 
England?"  I  asked. 

'  Yes ;  but  we  met  with  a  heavy  gale  of  wind  that  dis- 
persed the  other  vessels ;  and  we  had  been  alone  four  days 
when  the  privateer  attacked  us." 

These  answers  put  the  story  before  me  intelligibly ;  and 
I  further  learned  from  Mr.  Solomons  that  the  freight  of  the 
Namur  consisted  of  a  general  cargo;  but  he  could  not  tell 
me  the  nature  of  it,  unless  I  except  two  thousand  pounds' 
worth  of  house-furniture  belonging  to  Solomons.  The 
ship's  papers  had  either  been  carried  off  or  destroyed;  for 
I  afterward  searched  high  and  low  for  them,  but  without 
success. 

Supper  being  dispatched,  I  looked   into  the  cabin  that 


MY  PASSENGERS.  347 

had  been  occupied  by  Captain  Salmon;  and  finding  a  cot 
swinging  in  it  and  several  other  conveniences,  I  ordered 
Eansom  to  prepare  it  for  me.  I  also  got  Miss  Palmer  to 
shift  her  quarters  into  a  cabin  which  the  Tigress'  shot  had 
left  untouched,  and  then  went  on  deck  to  settle  the  watches. 

The  starlight  had  brightened  somewhat,  and  the  night 
was  clearer  than  it  had  been  when  I  went  below.  The 
wind  was  exceedingly  soft  and  refreshing,  and  the  sea 
quiet,  black,  and  gleaming;  the  dew  kept  the  decks  cool 
like  constant  showers  of  rain ;  and  the  slow  passage  of  the 
ship  through  the  sea  was  appreciable  to  the  ear  alone  of  all 
the  senses  by  the  soft  purring  and  creaming  of  the  water 
around  her  stem.  Ahead  of  us,  broad  on  the  starboard- 
bow,  loomed  the  shadow  of  the  schooner,  the  bright  light 
on  whose  stern  baffled  every  effort  of  the  eye  to  determine 
her  outline.  That  her  people  were  watching  us  like  cats, 
I  knew  by  the  regularity  of  the  distance  from  us  they  main- 
tained. And  indeed,  when  I  considered  the  value  of  the 
Namur,  and  the  slenderness  of  her  crew,  I  was  anxious 
enough,  as  you  may  believe,  that  the  Tigress  should  keep 
us  well  under  her  eye. 

I  told  Parell  to  pipe  the  men  aft;  thirteen  grouped  them- 
selves on  the  quarter-deck,  leaving  one  at  the  wheel  and 
Eansom  in  the  cabin.  I  counted  and  divided  them,  making 
seven  in  Parell' s  and  eight  in  my  watch.  I  then  sent  the 
starboard  watch  below ;  and  lighting  a  pipe — the  first  bit  of 
tobacco  I  had  tasted  that  day — I  planted  myself  on  a  gun- 
carriage  to  enjoy  a  quiet  smoke. 

It  was  a  true  remark  of  mine  to  Mrs.  Solomons  that  a 
man  who  goes  to  sea  as  a  sailor  soon  loses  the  power  of 
being  surprised.  Indeed,  the  whole  life  of  a  sailor  is  a 
chance,  and  the  unexpected  is  the  only  thing  he  can  safely 
reckon  on.  Consequently,  my  transfer  from  the  Tigress  to 
the  temporary  command  of  this  large  West  Indiaman  did 
not  in  the  least  astonish  me.  Her  spacious  decks,  her  lofty 
masts,  the  numerous  points  of  equipment  which  distinguish 
a  full-rigged  ship  from  a  topsail  schooner,  had  grown  famil- 
iar to  me,  I  may  say,  almost  as  soon  as- 1  had  found  myself 
amid  them ;  and  had  I  sailed  in  the  Namur  from  England 
I  could  not  have  surveyed  her  with  an  eye  more  totally 
unimpressed  by  the  novelty  of  my  surroundings. 


348         AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

But  my  professional  incapacity  of  surprise  ceased  with 
the  ship.  My  astonishment  began  when  I  thought  of  Miss 
Palmer.  It  was  certainly  amazing  to  find  myself  aboard 
the  ship  she  had  taken  her  passage  in,  commanding  that 
ship,  intimately  associated  with  her  who  had  occupied  much 
of  my  thoughts,  in  the  happy  position  of  having  been  one 
of  the  instruments  of  the  rescue  of  a  girl  who  had  grappled 
my  admiration — to  say  no  more — with  hooks  of  steel,  from 
the  horror  of  a  prolonged  exile  from  her  father  and  her 
home. 

The  silence,  broken  only  by  the  creaming  of  froth  for- 
ward; the  imponderable  lower  darkness,  over  whose  top- 
most heights  the  starry  heavens  were  sparkling  in  wide- 
spread glory  of  silver  fires;  the  hush  upon  the  faintly 
breathing  bosom  of  the  deep,  in  whose  darkling  surface  a 
faint  throbbing  of  phosphorescent  radiance  mingled  with 
the  white  crystalline  reflection  of  the  greater'  stars;  the 
shadowy  decks,  with  here  and  there  the  figure  of  a  man 
standing  still  as  a  figure  of  bronze,  and  the  faint  haze  of  a 
lantern  slung  on  the  forestay,  throwing  up  a  coal-black 
pillar  of  the  gigantic  foremast — these  were  influences  to 
subdue  me  into  a  pensive  mood;  and  my  thoughts  strayed 
from  Madeline  Palmer  to  the  events  of  the  hours  which 
were  passing  away,  and  my  heart  melted  in  gratitude  to  my 
heavenly  Father  for  the  merciful  protection  He  had  vouch- 
safed me  throughout  the  fierce  and  murderous  struggle  of 
the  afternoon. 

A  footstep  caused  me  to  look  around. 

"  Is  not  that  Miss  Palmer?" 

"  Yes,  Mr.  Madison;  surely  it  is  not  so  dark  but  that  I 
am  to  be  distinguished  from  Mrs.  Solomons?" 

"Is  she  on  deck?"  I  asked,  rising  and  gazing  about  me. 

'No;  but  her  husband  will  be  here  in  a  minute.     Pray 
do  not  put  down  your  pipe." 

"  Shall  I  fetch  you  a  chair,  or  will  you  walk?" 

"I  would  rather  walk." 

In  spite  of  the  haze  thrown  upon  the  air  from  the  lamps 
under  the  cabin  skylights,  the  outlines  of  our  figures  only 
were  visible.  The  occasional  slight  roll  of  the  ship  gave 
me  an  excuse  to  offer  her  my  arm,  and  she  took  it. 

'  This  has  been  a  rare  day  of  surprises.  Miss  Palmer? " 


MY  PASSENGERS.  349 

said  I.  "  It  is  strange  that  of  all  the  convoy  dispersed  by 
the  gale,  the  Namur  should  have  been  the  only  one  reserved 
for  the  Tigress  to  overhaul,  and  not  a  little  astonishing  that 
you  and  I  should  meet  again  under  conditions  so  extremely 
different  from  what  any  prophet  with  the  least  regard  for 
his  reputation  would  have  dared  to  predict.  But  the  most 
amazing  part  of  it  all  to  me  is,  that  this  very  morning  you 
were  so  incessantly  in  my  thoughts  that  positively  Captain 
Shelvocke  noticed  my  abstraction,  and  twitted  me  on  it. 
Considering  that  your  ship  must  have  been  within  a  few 
leagues  of  us  at  that  time,  one  ought  to  be  superstitious 
enough  to  suppose  that  there  is  more  in  this  than  mere 
common-sense  can  perceive." 

This  very  simple  and  candid  speech  ought  perhaps  to 
have  embarrassed  her ;  had  she  shown  any  embarrassment  I 
should  probably  have  seen  how  very  simple  and  candid  it 
was ;  instead,  she  laughed  pleasantly,  and  answered  : 

"  You  have  a  wonderful  memory,  Mr.  Madison,  consider- 
ing you  are  a  sailor." 

"At  ail  events  I  don't  forget  Lady  Tempest's  ball,"  I 
answered ;  "  and  if  we  were  aboard  the  Tigress  I  could  prove 
the  sincerity  of  my  memory  by  showing  you  the  flower  you 
gave  me." 

"  Yes,  I  remember,"  said  she.  "  The  fireworks  were  very 
pretty,  and  the  night  was  even  finer  than  this,  for  there 
was  a  moon,  was  there  not?  How  peaceful  and  beautiful 
those  heavens  seem!"  she  exclaimed,  raising  her  face  that 
looked  shadowy  and  vague  as  some  lovely  spirit's,  with  the 
starlight  gleaming  in  her  soft  large  eyes:  "  what  a  tranquil 
close  to  such  a  day  as  we  have  gone  through!  I  should  like 
to  have  seen  Captain  Shelvocke — do  you  remember  pointing 
him  out  to  me  at  the  ball  you  have  spoken  of?  He  ought 
to  know  how  grateful  I  am — how  grateful  we  all  are  to  him 
and  his  brave  men.  But  I  shall  doubtless  meet  him  at 
Kingston,  where  my  father  will  be  able  to  add  his  thanks 
to  mine." 

And  then  she  talked  of  her  father,  and  her  anxiety  about 
his  health,  and  the  eagerness  with  which  she  looked  forward 
to  their  meeting.  Indeed,  the  love  she  bore  her  father  was 
delightful  to  hear  her  talking  about,  and  I  listened  to  her 
voice  as  a  man  listens  to  a  nightingale.     She  conversed 


350         AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

with  the  same  cordial,  well-bred  candor  that  had  fascinated 
me  when  we  first  met,  and  it  was  the  pleasanter  to  me  to 
hearken  to  because  it  implied  the  best  compliment  a  girl  can 
pay  a  man.  Yes,  I  own  I  am  never  better  pleased  than 
when  a  well-bred  woman  bestows  her  home  feelings  upon 
me.  Let  her  favor  Jones  or  Jenkins  with  her  festive  hopes 
and  memories,  and  chatter  to  them  of  dresses,  lovers,  balls, 
and  Italian  singers ;  she  charms  me  most  when  she  talks  of 
baby's  first  tooth,  her  boy's  cleverness —when  in  short  she 
takes  me  into  the  nursery,  ay,  and  into  the  kitchen,  my 
boy,  of  her  life;  passing  over  the  drawing-room,  where 
those  fine  fellows,  Jones  and  Jenkins,  sit  in  polished  boots 
and  burnished  waistcoats. 

My  sweet  companion  gave  me  a  description  of  the  red- 
capped  Yankee  privateersman ;  how  he  would  come  into  the 
cabin,  fling  himself  into  a  chair  with  his  cap  on,  and  lean- 
ing his  long  arms  over  the  back  of  it,  while  his  legs  stuck 
out  like  a  pair  of  compasses,  the  points  of  which  were 
riveted  in  a  couple  of  immense  rusty  boots,  heap — through 
his  nose,  and  with  his  mouth  full  of  tobacco — every  possible 
abuse  that  could  be  coined  by  an  American  ruffian  upon  the 
British  people:  how,  by  way  of  giving  emphasis  to  his  con- 
tempt for  the  British  people,  he  would  pull  out  a  pistol  and 
point  it  at  those  male  passengers  whom  he  particularly 
addressed:  how  on  one  occasion  he  invited  a  number  of 
blacks  to  breakfast,  and  made  the  ladies  take  their  arms  to 
the  table,  in  order  to  show,  as  he  said,  what  an  American 
citizen's  notions  of  liberty  were.  Her  voice  quivered  as 
she  told  me  these  things ;  and  that  grosser  affronts  had  been 
offered  her  than  she  knew  how  to  tell  me  I  was  sure  by  her 
suddenly  withdrawing  her  trembling  hand  from  my  arm 
and  burying  her  face,  leaving  me  swelling  with  helpless 
indignation,  and  passionately  deploring  that  it  had  not  been 
my  hand  that  struck  Master  Bed-cap  down. 

However,  she  rallied  presently,  as  I  did  when  I  reflected 
that  the  scoundrel  was  dead,  and  that  of  his  fiendish  crew 
only  a  handful  were  preserved  for  the  gallows ;  and  after  I 
had  soothed  her  a  bit  she  put  her  arm  again  into  mine,  and 
held  as  though  she  clung  to  me — an  unconscious  action  on 
her  part,  though  it  moved  me  strangely;  and  in  a  few 
minutes  Ave  were  once  more  talking  quietly  on   cheerful 


MY  PASSENGERS  351 

matters,  pausing  now  and  then  to  watch  some  bright  meteor 
flash  over  our  mastheads,  or  the  quivering  of  the  yellow 
light  thrown  by  the  lantern  on  the  schooner's  stern  into  the 
visionary  darkness  of  the  water  under  her,  or  the  passage 
of  the  stars  gracefully  sailing  through  the  faint  tracery  of 
the  rigging  as  the  shadowed  and  silent  ship  leaned  gently 
with  the  swell. 

There  is  no  place  in  the  world  where  a  charming  girl's 
society  is  more  enjoyable  than  on  the  deck  of  a  vessel  on  a 
quiet  starlight  night,  when  there  is  just  wind  enough  to 
keep  the  sails  asleep,  and  when  the  shaling  of  the  water, 
broken  by  the  pushing  stem,  runs  like  a  tune  through  your 
whispers  and  the  silences  between,  and  when  every  sound 
seems  muffled  by  the  darkness — the  jar  of  the  rudder,  the 
murmur  of  men  talking  forward,  the  creak  of  a  block  high 
up  in  the  gloom. 

Poets  may  sing  of  love-making  in  sylvan  scenes,  of  Delia 
listening  to  Strephon  amid  the  twinkling  shadows  of  leaves, 
of  Chloe  hearkening  to  Damon  blowing  his  pipe  while  lamb- 
kins skip  in  the  distance  and  Zephyr  wantons  o'er  the 
enamelled  mead;  by  all  means  let  Strephon  enjoy  himself 
sub  tegmine  fagi,  and  let  the  lambkins  shake  a  foot  to 
Damon's  oaten  pipe;  but  if  Delia  and  Chloe  want  to  taste 
a  bliss  in  flirtation  beyond  all  that  the  poets  have  told,  let 
them  choose  for  a  theatre  a  roomy  ship's  deck,  a  star- 
spangled  night,  a  soft,  tropical  air  sweetened  to  every  sense 
by  refreshful  showers  of  dew  falling  with  every  melodious 
flap  of  the  alabaster-like  sails,  and  a  surrounding  space  of 
mighty  waters  reaching  down  to  the  further  heavens,  and 
yielding  out  of  their  vast  and  gloomy  distances  a  high  and 
magical  coloring  to  the  thoughts. 

Do  not  I  speak  from  experience?  for  a  whole  blissful  hour 
Madeline  Palmer  and  I  patrolled  the  spacious  quarterdeck 
of  the  Namur,  and  with  but  one  brief  interruption  from  Mr. 
Solomons,  who,  with  an  immense  cheroot  in  his  mouth, 
asked  me  if  I  could  tell  him  how  fast  we  were  going.  I 
looked  over  the  side  and  gave  a  guess  at  the  speed,  where- 
upon he  got  upon  the  aftermost  skylight,  and  pillowing  his 
head  upon  his  arm,  lay  on  his  back  and  troubled  us  no 
more. 

At  last  Miss  Palmer  said  she  must  wish  me  good-night 


352         AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

now  it  was  nearly  ten  o'clock;  she  had  much  enjoyed  hei 
walk  and  conversation. 

'•Indeed  I  am  afraid,  Mr.  Madison,  I  have  tired  you 
with  ray  incessant  chatter." 

"Indeed  you  haven't,  and  I  hope  you  don't  believe  you 
have.  Your  society  gives  me  so  much  happiness  that  I 
should  only  make  a  fool  of  myself  if  I  attempted  to  express 
my  gratitude.  You  cannot  imagine  what  a  delightful  break 
your  company  is  to  a  poor  sailor  whose  horizon  has  for 
weeks  been  a  sea  and  sky." 

"I  believe  you,  Mr.  Madison,  as  you  must  believe  me," 
she  exclaimed,  pausing  in  the  soft  radiance  that  streamed 
through  the  open  skylight,  whereby  I  beheld  her  eyes  fixed 
earnestly  on  me,  and  her  sweet  face  very  pensive  and 
thoughtful.  "  Unmeaning  compliments  would  be  a  cruel 
pastime  after  our  experiences  this  day.  When  I  think  of 
what  your  presence  in  this  ship  means,  my  escape  from 
sufferings  I  dare  not  dwell  upon,  I  can  only  wonder  that 
my  full  heart  suffers  me  to  speak  at  all." 

"Ay,  but  you  mustn't  let  the  past  trouble  you.  If  I 
chose  I  could  make  myself  as  sad  as  the  ghost  of  a  murdered 
man,  by  reflecting  on  the  number  of  brave,  hearty,  kindly 
shipmates  whom  the  rascally  buccaneers  have  sent  to  their 
account  this  day ;  of  my  plucky  messmate,  the  second  mate 
of  the  Tigress,  tossing,  with  a  dangerous  wound  in  him,  in 
the  close  atmosphere  of  the  schooner's  little  cabin;  of  the 
narrow  escape  I  have  had  from  sounding  these  dark  and 
melancholy  depths,  on  whose  surface  you  and  I  are  exchang- 
ing our  fancies.  But  surely  I  am  wiser  in  preferring  to 
dwell  upon  the  happiness  that  has  grown  out  of  to-day's 
thunder— the  happiness,  I  mean,  of  having  helped  to  rescue 
you  from  the  Yankees,  and  of  passing  a  few  days,  at  least, 
in  your  society." 

"  One  cannot  forget  the  past  at  will, "  said  she,  shaking 
her  head ;  "  and  I  have  not  your  power  of  fixing  my  atten- 
tion on  things  I  ought  to  think  of." 

However  she  smiled  as  she  said  this :  and  then,  holding 
out  her  hand,  bade  me  good-night. 

"God  bless  her!"  thought  I,  watching  her  go  down  the 
companion-steps;  and  when  her  bronze-colored  hair  caught 
the  light  as  she  descended,  it  sparkled  as  though  she  shook 


MY  PASSENGERS.  353 

a  shower  of  gold-dust  out  of  it.  "  A  charming  girl,  indeed ! 
a  frank,  womanly,  affectionate  lady!" 

Here  I  went  on  tiptoe  to  the  foremost  skylight,  and  peered 
into  it  to  see  her  as  she  passed  along  the  cabin.  She 
stopped  at  the  table  to  fill  a  glass  from  a  jug  of  water  on 
one  of  the  swinging  trays.  The  shawl  she  had  over  her 
shoulders  dropped  off  as  she  stretched  forth  her  hand  to 
take  the  jug,  and  her  wide  sleeve  slipped  down  below  her 
elbow  and  exposed  her  beautifully  moulded  arm  that  was  as 
white  as  ivory,  and  gleamed  like  bridal  silk  in  the  beams  of 
the  lamp  that  hung  to  the  right  of  her.  Not  being  a  linen- 
draper,  I  could  not  tell  you  what  material  her  dress  was 
made  of.  It  was  white,  and  bolted  with  black  velvet,  and 
fitted  her  like  a  glove;  and  a  narrow,  black,  silver-mounted 
belt,  to  which  her  sandalwood  fan  was  hitched,  marked  the 
circumference  of  her  waist  with  lovely  precision  against  the 
swell  of  her  bosom  as  she  leaned  across  the  table  as  flexibly 
as  a  sportive  panther  crouching  for  a  bound. 

Suddenly  she  looked  up,  and  saw  me  before  I  could  dodgo 
my  head.     It  was  very  annoying  to  be  caught  watching  her. 

"  I  was  just  going  to  advise  you  to  put  a  dash  of  sherry 
into  that  water,  in  case  it  shouldn't  have  been  filtered," 
said  I,  keeping  the  shadow  of  the  skylight  on  my  face  that 
she  might  not  witness  my  confusion. 

"The  water  is  very  clear,"  she  answered,  looking  into  the 
jug,  and  for  my  satisfaction,  poured  out  a  glassful,  and  held 
the  glass  up  to  the  light  for  me  to  see ;  and  as  she  stood 
with  her  face  upturned,  and  her  hair  gleaming  on  her  fore- 
head, and  her  lifted  hand  poising  the  sparkling  glass  to  the 
lamp,  and  giving  her  figure  the  sweetest  posture  it  could 
have  taken,  methought  a  fairer  picture  was  never  offered  to 
mortal  eyes  than  that  which  this  skylight  framed. 

She  bowed  and  moved  awa}T,  and  to  comfort  myself  for 
her  loss  I  pulled  out  my  pipe  and  lighted  it. 

"I  don't  know  if  you  are  aware,  Mr.  Solomons,"  said  I, 
going  to  the  after-skylight,  where  the  little  man  lay  as  quiet 
as  a  suit  of  clothes,  "  that  every  time  you  suck  your  cigar 
the  reflection  of  the  glowing  point  sparkles  in  your  face  as 
though  it  overhung  a  pool  of  water :  strong  proof  that  the 
dew  falls  heavily ;"  and  I  scooped  along  the  top  of  the  sky- 
light with  my  hand,  and  flung  a  cupful  off  it  on  to  the  deck. 
23 


354         AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

"I'm  obliged  to  you  for  the  hint,  thir,"  he  answered, 
getting  up.  "I've  been  wondering  what  made  my  small 
clothes  feel  so  heavy  on  my  legs." 

"  Let  me  advise  you  to  change  them— pray  stand  in  this 
light  for  one  minute;  ha!  I  thought  as  much:  the  dew  has 
turned  your  waistcoat  into  brown  paper." 

"  Whoever  would  have  thought  it  so  damp!"  he  exclaimed, 
smearing  himself  down  with  both  hands.  "  Is  my  wife  on 
deck,  mister?" 

"No;  she  has  been  below  all  the  evening." 

He  went  to  the  companion  and  stood  staring  around  at 
the  dark  sea. 

"There  is  no  danger  of  any  kind  about,  is  there,  thir? 
nothing,  I  mean,  to  prevent  me  from  going  to  bed  prop- 
erly?" said  he. 

"Nothing  more  than  you  see,"  I  answered. 

"I  haven't  worn  a  nightcap  for  two  nights,"  said  he, 
"  and  sleeping  in  my  clothes  always  makes  me  feel  as  if  I 
was  a  man  in  possession." 

"That  must  be  rather  a  queer  thing  to  feel  like,"  I 
observed. 

"Well,  it  isn't  so  much  the  clothes  being  on  you,  as 
their  obliging  you  to  lie  awake  and  listen,  and  to  think 
every  sound  that  strikes  your  ear  to  be  some  one  moving 
goods.  However,  I  shall  sleep  comfortable  to-night,  thank 
God,  and  so  I  wish  you  bong  swore,  mister." 

He  faded  down  the  ladder,  creeping  with  great  caution 
and  clinging  fast  to  the  handrail,  and  I  was  left  in  lonely 
possession  of  the  deck. 

I  was  no  sooner  alone  than  an  unaccountable  depression 
fell  upon  my  spirits.  Whether  it  was  due  to  the  blow  I 
had  received  on  the  top  of  my  head,  or  to  the  events  of  the 
day  which  took  advantage  of  my  solitude  to  crowd  upon  my 
memory,  and  to  flash  upon  my  mind's  eye  the  dreadful 
picture  of  carnage  these  decks  had  exhibited  after  the  fight, 
I  know  not,  but  I  do  remember  that  a  most  heavy  sense 
of  foreboding  weighed  in  me,  a  nervous  apprehension  of 
coming  evil,  that  my  utmost  resolution  was  unequal  to 
combat. 

I  went  aft  to  the  man  at  the  wheel  and  spoke  to  him ;  but 
I  had  better  remained  alone,  for  after  exchanging  a  few 


MY  PASSENGERS.  355 

words,  the  poor  fellow  began  to  speak  of  our  action  with 
the  Yankee  privateersman,  and  then  told  me  that  his 
brother — whom  he  had  sailed  with  voyage  after  voyage,  for 
fifteen  years,  during  which  time  they  had  always  managed 
to  be  in  the  same  watch,  and  even  to  swing  their  hammocks 
alongside  of  each  other — had  been  run  through  by  one  of 
the  men  who  had  boarded  the  Tigress,  in  the  waist,  and 
instantly  killed.  His  head  drooped  over  the  spokes  of  the 
wheel  which  he  clutched,  as  in  rough  and  broken  tones  he 
told  me  of  the  affection  that  subsisted  between  them,  how 
neither  of  them  had  married,  that  their  wages  might  be 
wholly  appropriated  to  the  support  of  their  mother,  and  I 
saw  the  tears  glance  from  his  eyes  past  the  binnacle-lamp 
as  he  muttered  that  he  did  not  know  how  he  should  be  able 
to  break  the  news  to  the  poor  old  woman,  and  that  it  was  a 
pity  the  Lord  had  not  taken  him  instead  of  Joe,  who  was 
ten  times  the  better  man,  "  the  finest  sailor,  your  honor,  in 
the  whole  world,  every  finger  a  fish-hook,  his  courage  like  a 
lion's,  and  his  heart  as  soft  as  a  girl's." 

I  had  no  consolation  to  offer  him ;  indeed,  I  was  only  fit 
to  make  him  more  miserable ;  so  I  left  him  and  went  to  the 
side  and  hung  over  it  gloomily,  watching  the  schooner  and 
heartily  wishing  it  were  an  hour  earlier  that  I  might  per- 
suade Madeline  Palmer  to  come  on  deck  again  and  cheer 
me  up  with  her  company. 

All  this  time  there  was  a  light  breeze  gently  blowing  on 
the  quarter,  and  our  progress  was  marked  by  the  slow 
passage  of  little  eddies  whose  presence  in  the  deep  black 
water  was  denoted  by  the  phosphorus  that  circled  in  them. 
Indeed,  but  for  these  tiny  whirlpools  and  the  soft  moan  of 
foam  at  the  bows  of  the  ship,  I  should  not  have  guessed 
that  we  were  moving,  so  imperceptible  was  the  motion  of 
the  dark  hull  and  so  deep  the  silence  aloft. 

There  is  nothing  in  the  world  that  so  heightens  the  mood 
with  which  you  survey  it  as  the  sea,  be  your  mood  what  it 
will.  Had  I  been  light-hearted,  I  should  have  doubtless 
beheld  in  the  spacious  fields  of  ebony  waters  gleaming  down 
to  the  stars  upon  the  horizon,  a  symbol  to  quicken  my 
pulse  with  its  magnificent  suggestion  of  liberty;  I  should 
have  thought  of  the  fretful  and  feverish  worries  of  life 
ashore,  the  baiting  of  man  by  his  fellow-man,  the  struggles 


356  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

of  poverty,  the  pains  and  fears  of  wealth,  the  unhallowed 
romance  of 

"  Loose  life,  unruly  passions  and  diseases  pale  ;" 

and  constrasted  some  such  a  vision  of  populous  human 
existence  with  the  broad  and  majestic  amphitheatre  upon 
whose  dark  liquid  floor  our  vesseHiung,  watched  by  a  sky 
of  silver  stars  and  fanned  by  an  air  fresh  from  heaven's 
own  nostrils. 

But  my  mood  now  found  the  deep  a  heavy  shadow, 
haunted  by  corpses,  a  "  thrilling  region"  that  deepened 
fancy  until  I  gazed  spellbound  upon  the  visionary  space, 
dreaming  the  dreams  which  out  of  its  prodigal  sympathy  it 
yielded  to  my  imagination.  All  the  men  who  had  been 
stricken  down  this  day  swarmed  in  the  void  like  the  ghosts 
in  Glover's  ballad:  and  my  material  eye — sharpened  no 
doubt  into  keen  perception  of  fantasies  by  the  loss  of  blood, 
and  by  the  whack  that  had  given  my  senses  a  little  interval 
of  rest — did,  and  I  will  swear  it,  behold  their  misty  shapes 
visibly  lined  under  the  black  surface  whose  distance  from 
the  bulwark  rail— for  there  was  no  starlight  in  the  sea 
alongside— would  have  been  an  unguessable  thing  but  for 
the  blue  fires  creeping  past. 

"Pish!"  I  cried,  giving  my  cheek  a  slap  in  pure  vexation 
of  my  maudlin  mood,  whereby  I  dislodged  a  shower  of  red 
sparks  from  the  bowl  of  my  pipe ;  "  wake  up,  thou  mutton- 
headed  dreamer!"  and  I  was  going  to  take  my  own  advice 
and  wake  up,  when  lo !  the  hand  I  had  raised  to  remove  the 
pipe  from  my  lips  stiffened  and  remained  forked  up  as 
though  blasted  by  a  flash  of  lightning.  I  felt  my  eyes  pro- 
trude from  their  sockets,  I  held  my  breath,  and  a  clammy  dew 
gathered  upon  the  skin  of  my  forehead.  "  What  is  that?" 
I  muttered.  An  outline  of  pale  blue  smoke — like  a  small 
hill  of  illuminated  foam — passed  swiftly  through  the  water 
toward  the  bow  of  the  ship;  my  startled  eye  shaped  it 
into  the  likeness  of  a  human  figure — another  and  another 
sped  after  it — they  looked  like  a  flight  of  spectres :  and 
the  puffs  of  blue  vapor  that  marked  their  passage  through 
the  pitchy  water  Avere  like  the  fires  which  kindle  in  your 
eyes  when  you  close  them  after  looking  at  a  bright  light. 
Presently,  and  about  a  ship's  length  ahead,  the  sea  flashed 


MY  PASSENGERS.  357 

up  in  foam  that  was  radiant  with  the  magical  coloring  of 
the  phosphorus.  One  would  have  said  a  waterspout  was 
foaming,  or  that  a  dying  whale  was  lashing  the  sea  in  its 
agony.  In  a  moment  it  was  abreast  of  me;  I  looked  at  the 
luminous  disturbance — there  was  a  rush  of  blood  to  my  head 
that  was  like  to  choke  me.  I  shrieked  out,  and  springing 
backward  in  an  agony  of  horror,  my  foot  struck  against  the 
fake  of  a  rope,  and  over  I  went,  fetching  the  deck  a  rousing 
thump  with  the  back  of  my  head. 

"Hi,  help  here!"  I  heard  the  fellow  at  the  wheel  sing 
out;  "the  chief  officer's  wounded!" 

Some  men  came  tumbling  aft;  but  before  they  reached 
me  I  had  made  shift  to  gain  my  feet,  though  I  trembled 
from  head  to  foot,  and  the  blood  tingled  in  my  extremities 
with  the  sensation  a  man  feels  when  restored  from  drown- 
ing. 

"  Get  me  some  water,  one  of  you ;  thanks !  there — that 
has  set  me  up  again." 

I  wiped  a  trickling  line  of  perspiration  from  my  forehead ; 
but  when  I  brought  the  handkerchief  away,  there  was  a  deep 
stain  of  blood  upon  it. 

"Oh,  confound  this  wound!  Here — pour  the  contents  of 
that  pannikin  over  this  handkerchief."  I  threw  down  my 
cap,  placed  the  soaked  handkerchief  on  the  wound  on  my 
head,  and  walked  to  the  skylight  where  I  seated  myself, 
feeling  uncommonly  feeble  and  bewildered.  The  men  were 
moving  forward,  speaking  in  low  tones  one  to  another,  when 
I  called  to  them.     They  drew  near  again. 

"Were  any  of  you  looking  over  the  side  just  now?" 

"I  was,"  answered  one  of  them,  and  another  replied  that 
he  was  too. 

"What  did  you  see?"  I  asked,  bringing  out  the  words 
with  difficulty ;  for  I  was  fool  enough  to  be  agitated  by  a 
misgiving  that  my  eyes  alone  had  witnessed  the  sight  that 
affrighted  me,  and  I  feared  their  answer.  I  could  see  that 
the  men  were  as  much  surprised  by  the  question  as  by  the 
voice  in  which  I  put  it.  One  of  them  replied :  "  Do  you 
mean  the  sharks,  sir?" 

"  Sharks!— were  they  sharks?"  I  shouted. 

"  I  saw  a  queer  sort  o'  scrimmage  betwixt  three  or  four 
large  sharks,  sir,  as  if  they  were  wrestling  for  some  kind 


358         AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

of  food  they'd  come  across,  if  that's  what  you  mean,  sir," 
said  the  man. 

"Sharks!"  I  muttered,  passing  my  hand  across  my  eyes, 
as  though  by  some  such  gesture  I  sought  to  cleanse  my  brain 
of  the  fog  that  thickened  it,  "  why,  when  I  come  to  consider, 
I  suppose  they  must  have  been  sharks.  Ah,  I  see  now! 
.  .  .  get  me  another  drink  of  water,  will  you?  What  a 
sight  to  flash  before  a  man  on  a  sudden — illuminated  by  the 
horrible  light  churned  up  by  the  monsters!  God  have 
mercy!  people  have  been  driven  mad  by  smaller  things!" 

I  took  a  long  pull  at  the  cool  water  that  had  been  brought 
to  me. 

"  Men,  I  was  standing  yonder— looking  over  the  rail  there, 
just  abaft  that  shattered  gunport,  and  there  shone  amid  the 
gloom  ahead,  whither  I  had  noticed  some  shapes  of  fire  dash- 
ing at  full  speed — sharks,  of  course — a  big  circle  of  lashed 
waters,  as  big  as  this  quarter-deck,  men " 

"That  would  be  about  it,  sir,"  interrupted  the  fellow  who 
had  answered  my  first  question. 

"  I  was  thinking  of  our  poor  shipmates  whom  the  bloody 
buccaneers  sent  to  their  account  this  day,  and— as  heaven 
is  my  witness — I  saw  a  crowd  of  their  bodies  in  the  centre 
of  this  foaming  circle,  which,  as  you  know — you,  Jackson, 
who  saw  it — -was  all  on  fire,  and  gleaming  like  moonlight 
streaming  through  blue  glass — wasn't  it?" 

"Yes,  yes;  that's  right,  sir." 

"  And  they  held  up,  ay,  so  as  to  hoist  two-thirds  of  him 
out  of  the  water,  the  figure — of  whom,  think  you? — the 
figure  of  your  second  mate,  Mr.  Silas  Chestree.  Yes,  by 
heaven!  men,  they  held  him  as  though  they  would  drive 
me  mad  with  the  dreadful  sight,  and  his  head  wagged 
and  his  arms  waved,  and  there  he  was  swaying  in  the 
arms  of  the  dead  bodies  around  him.  I  saw  him  as  plainly 
as  I  do  the  outline  of  that  topsail-yard  there  against  the 
stars!" 

The  men  looked  first  at  me  and  then  at  one  another,  as 
though  (small  blame  to  them)  they  believed  me  clean  daft. 
Suddenly  the  fellow  named  Jackson  hooked  the  quid  out  of 
his  cheek  with  his  forefinger,  flung  it  into  his  cap,  and  ex- 
claimed with  great  emphasis : 

"I  understand  it  now,  sir,  though  I'm  blowed  if  I  wasn't 


MY  PASSENGERS.  359 

pretty  well  scared  myself  when  I  first  see  it.  Wot  we  saw 
was  sharks." 

"Yes,  I  know  that — I  admit  that!"  I  cried  impatiently. 
"But  what  1  saw  was  Mr.  Chestree." 

"Wot  you  saw,  sir,"  continued  the  fellow,  deferentially 
but  firmly,  "  was  a  dead  body  newly  hove  overboard  from 
the  schooner,  and  we  passed  just  in  time  to  see  a  swarm 
of  sharks,  that  had  been  collected  by  the  scent,  a-fighting 
over  it." 

A  light  broke  in  upon  my  brain. 

"  Jump  forward  one  of  you,  and  fire  a  musket  over  the 
bows." 

This  was  one  of  the  preconcerted  signals  to  be  used  by 
either  vessel  wanting  to  speak  the  other,  and  down  in  Shel- 
vocke's  written  instructions  to  me.  The  musket  flashed, 
and  a  small  sharp  report  rattled  across  the  water.  Present- 
ly the  schooner  loomed  near,  proving  that  she  had  shortened 
sail,  and  we  forged  abreast  of  her. 

I  had  acted  impulsively  and  without  rational  excuse  to 
signal  her,  but  a  feverish  curiosity  had  mastered  every  con- 
sideration. Yet  now  that  she  wras  abreast  of  us  I  felt 
ashamed  of  myself,  and  was  at  a  loss  to  know  how  to  make 
my  action  appear  reasonable. 

"  Ship  ahoy!"  shouted  the  familiar  voice  of  Shelvocke. 

"Hallo,  sir!" 

"Why  have  you  fired  a  musket?" 

"To  report  that  all's  wrell  aboard  of  us,"  T  blurted  out, 
taking  the  first  idea  that  came,  "  and  to  ask  how  it  is  with 
you." 

"Is  that  all?"  he  cried  gruffly;  and  I  could  figure  the 
sea-blessings  invoked  on  my  head  by  the  watch  on  deck, 
who  had  been  turned  up  to  shorten  sail. 

"Did  you  fling  a  body  overboard  just  now,  captain?"  I 
called,  determined  to  satisfy  my  curiosity  before  the  schooner 
forged  ahead. 

"  Yes,  Mr.  Madison ;  and  sorry  enough  I  am  to  have  to 
tell  yon,"  answered  Shelvocke,  in  a  softened  voice.  "Poor 
Chestree  died  this  evening,  and  we  dared  not  keep  the  body 
through  the  night." 

"  Did  you  throw  him  overboard  as  he  was,  sir?" 

"Eh — what  do  you  say?" 


360  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

I  repeated  the  question. 

"Certainly  not,"  he  answered  indignantly.  "He  had 
no  hammock,  as  you  know,  so  he  was  stitched  up  in  a  pair 
of  his  sheets  and  launched.  But  this  is  worse  than  idling, 
sir!  Do  you  mean  to  tell  me  you  fired  that  musket  merely 
to  ask  these  questions?" 

"Just  listen  a  moment,  captain,"  I  answered.  "We 
passed  his  body  just  now,  worried  by  half  a  dozen  sharks. 
The  weight  must  have  slipped  from  his  feet,  and  the  infernal 
fish  had  stripped  him  naked.  God  help  me!  when  I  saw 
him,  I  believed  I  was  mad,  and  I  fired  that  musket  in  order 
that  your  replies  might  assure  me  I  still  had  my  senses." 

I  could  hear  him  talking  to  some  one  alongside  of  him 

probably  Tapping :  the  two  vessels  were  indeed  not  a  bis- 
cuit's throw  from  each  other,  and  the  wind  blew  from  the 
schooner.  I  knew  this  information  would  shock  him,  as  he 
was  always  jealous  of  the  honor  due  to  his  officers;  and  I 
was  sure  that  nothing  but  the  excessive  closeness  of  the 
cabin,  and  the  heat  of  the  temperature  on  deck,  could  have 
induced  him  to  sanction  a  hurried  and  unceremonious  burial 
of  poor  Chestree's  remains. 

Presently  he  called  out: 

"  I  am  much  grieved,  but  it  cannot  be  rectified.  The  men 
are  tired,  and  the  'tween-decks  full  of  wounded.  The  shot, 
I  fear,  was  hastily  made  fast;  but  our  hearts  are  with  the 
dead,  and  God  knows  there  is  no  man  of  the  Tigress'  crew 
who  would  willingly  do  dishonor  to  the  body  of  our  brave 
and  regretted  shipmate." 

He  waited  to  hear  if  I  had  anything  more  to  say,  and 
finding  me  silent,  ordered  sail  to  be  made,  and  resumed  his 
former  station  ahead. 

"Chestree  dead!"  thought  I.  "Alas!  alas!  what  a  day 
this  has  been!"  Yet,  sharp  as  was  the  pang  caused  me 
by  the  news,  it  yielded  a  feeling  of  relief  too;  for  I  knew, 
at  least,  that  my  eyes  had  not  deceived  me;  that  the  ghastly 
and  ghostly  sight  that  had  slid  past  was  no  phantasm  of  the 
brain;  and  I  drew  the  same  sort  of  comfort  from  the  dis- 
covery that  Dr.  Johnson  may  be  supposed  to  have  derived 
from  the  manufacture  of  Greek  and  Latin  verses  in  bed  to 
satisfy  himself  that  his  intellect  was  still  sound. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

JONATHAN     AGAIN. 

Before  my  watch  terminated,  my  nerves  had  recovered 
something  of  their  old  tone,  and  a  four  hours'  deep  sleep 
completed  the  cure.  Farell  aroused  me  and  I  presently  fol- 
lowed him  on  deck.  I  peered  about  for  some  moments 
before  I  caught  sight  of  the  schooner's  light;  indeed,  this 
was  the  proverbial  black  hour  of  the  night,  the  stars  lan- 
guishing :  it  was  like  staring  into  the  bottom  of  a  coal-pit 
to  look  over  the  ship's  side.  There  was  a  steady  breeze, 
but  unhappily  it  was  blowing  the  wrong  way,  having  veered 
dead  ahead  during  my  watch  below,  and  the  Namur  was 
slightly  heeling  under  it  with  her  yards  braced  hard  up 
against  the  lee-rigging,  and  steering  three  points  south  of 
the  course  given  me  by  Shelvocke. 

The  profound  darkness  was  not  very  comfortable,  and  I 
was  glad  enough,  on  casting  my  eyes  over  the  quarter,  to 
behold  the  sky  taking  that  indescribable  sallow,  slate-colored 
hue  which  a  tropical  sunrise  casts  before  it.  I  have  always 
thought  the  aspect  of  the  sea  just  before  the  sun  rises  the 
most  melancholy  sight  in  the  world.  The  universal  cold 
gra}T,  the  stony,  chilly  ash-color  of  the  dawn  reflected  in 
the  uneasy  deep,  fills  the  eyes  with  a  picture  of  desolation. 
On  shore  a  hundred  cheerful  signs  herald  the  breaking  day  : 
the  twittering  of  birds,  the  blue  smoke  rising  from  the  cot- 
tage chimney,  the  laborer's  hearty  voice,  the  cackling  and 
crowing  in  the  poultry-yard.  But  at  sea  the  dawn  awakens 
no  life :  the  horizon  becomes  a  hard  dark  line  girdling  a 
melancholy  waste  of  waters.  But  soon  the  rising  sun,  rest- 
ing a  dazzling  silver  point  upon  the  rosy  sea-line,  makes  the 
scene  joyous:  the  waters  flash  like  a  mighty  prism,  you 
behold  the  topmost  sails  of  the  ship  gleaming  like  porcelain, 
while  the  shadow  of  the  night  still  lurks  along  the  decks } 


362  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

anon  the  whole  fabric  is  steeped  in  the  white  radiance,  and 
star-shaped  brilliancies  are  kindled  in  the  brass-work,  and 
the  glass  breaks  into  a  hundred  flashing  tints,  and  the  decks 
glitter  like  fine  dry  sand.  Another  clay  has  begun,  and  the 
watch  on  deck  uncoil  themselves  from  the  nooks  in  which 
they  have  been  dozing  through  the  darkness,  and  grumblingly 
rig  the  head-pump  and  get  the  scrubbing-brushes  and  buckets 
along. 

My  eyes  turned  toward  the  schooner  as  the  sun  rose,  and 
there  she  lay  about  a  mile  and  a  half  ahead  of  us,  with  a 
narrow  wake  streaming  a  short  distance  astern  of  her,  and 
the  green  waters  caressing  her  glossy  sides  as  she  pressed 
smoothly  and  softly  over  them.  A  spark  winked  at  her 
side,  and  a  white  cloud  broke  away  from  her,  and  sailed 
slowly  down  over  her  quarter,  and  before  the  report  reached 
us  a  small  red  flag  was  quivering  at  her  main. 

"Lay  aft  here,  Ransom!"  I  sung  out,  "and  hoist  the  an- 
swering pennant!" 

They  hauled  down  the  flag  aboard  the  schooner,  and  sub- 
stituted a  whole  row  of  gaudy  bunting,  that  made  the  ves- 
sel look  "  dressed"  for  a  holiday.  I  worked  away  with  the 
glass  consulting  the  signal-book  as  I  made  the  numbers : 
"  Get  your  topgallant-mast  swayed  up  and  the  yards  crossed." 

"  Sensible  advice,  Captain  Shelvocke;  but  you  might  have 
waited  till  eight  bells,  so  as  to  give  the  watch  below  a  couple 
of  hours  more  rest." 

"All  right,  Ransom;  hoist  your  answering  pennant 
again." 

The  flags  were  hauled  down  and  another  string  of  them 
hoisted. 

"  Will  send  help  if  required. " 

I  answered  by  signalling  that  we  should  not  require  help. 

"Never  mind  about  washing  the  decks  down,"  I  said  to 
the  men.  "  Call  all  hands,  one  of  you,  and  the  rest  turn  to 
and  clear  away  that  topgallant-mast  among  the  booms  there 
ready  for  swaying  aloft." 

The  thumping  of  a  handspike  on  the  forescuttle  was  fol- 
lowed by  a  gruff  cry.  Parell  was  up  in  a  trice :  the  rest  of 
the  watch  below  followed,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  men 
were  springing  about  like  cats  to  the  tune  of  Parell's  pipe. 
A  jack-block  was  sent  aloft,  and  the  mast-rope  rove.     I 


JONATHAN  AGAIN.  363 

pulled  off  my  coat  to  give  the,men  a  hand.  Slowly  we  swayed 
the  mast  up,  fitted  the  shrouds,  stays  and  backstays, 
manned  the  mast-rope,  unbent  the  trippling-line,  ridded, 
and  then  set  up  the  rigging. 

In  the  midst  of  all  this  business  Miss  Palmer  came  on 
deck.  I  raised  my  hat  to  her,  and  went  on  with  my  work ; 
but  now  and  again  I  would  take  a  squint  at  her  out  of  the 
corners  of  my  eyes,  and  noticed  how  sweetly  pretty  lier  face 
looked,  with  the  varying  expressions  which  entered  it,  as 
she  watched  our  complicated  labors,  and  followed  with  her 
glances  the  fellows  aloft,  who  no  doubt  appeared  to  her  to 
be  astride  of  nothing  and  holding  on  by  their  eyelids. 

By  the  time  breakfast  was  piped  the  yards  were  crossed 
and  the  sails  ready  for  bending.  This,  all  things  considered, 
was  a  very  smartly  rushed  job,  and  I  praised  the  men  high- 
ly for  their  activity.  Aloft  the  ship  now  looked  as  taut  and 
handsome  as  she  had  appeared  when  we  first  sighted  her; 
and  feeling  exceedingly  rough,  dishevelled,  and  hot,  I  slung 
my  coat  over  my  arm  and  walked  aft  to  the  companion. 
Miss  Palmer  stood  near  it,  and  as  I  approached  she  ex- 
claimed : 

"  Perhaps  you  will  find  time  now,  Mr.  Madison,  to  shake 
hands." 

"  I  will  shake  hands  with  pleasure,  but  I  am  not  in  the 
trim  to  talk.  You  don't  know  how  hard  it  is  for  a  sailor  to 
make  himself  agreeable  to  ladies  when  he  is  not  what  you 
call  tidy." 

"I  hope  I  have  not  annoyed  you  by  watching  you  at 
work,"  said  she  demurely ;  but  with  a  movement  of  the  eye- 
lids that  gave  an  odd,  coquettish  expression  to  her  face. 

"  On  the  contrary ;  nor  am  I  annoyed  that  you  should  see 
me  in  this  rig,"  said  I,  casting  a  look  on  my  bare  arms,  and 
recollecting  that  the  collar  of  my  shirt  lay  wide  open,  and 
feeling  that  my  hair  was  over  my  forehead,  and  my  hat  on 
the  back  of  my  head.  "  Still,  I  hope  you  will  not  think 
me  rude  if  I  ask  you  to  excuse  me  until  I  have  made  myself 
ship-shape.  You  wouldn't  like  to  be  caught  in  the  state 
you  find  me  in,  would  you?" 

"No,  indeed,"  she  answered,  laughing  heartily,  "so  pray 
let  me  keep  you  no  longer,"  and  she  struggled  with  another 
laugh  as  she  walked  away. 


364         AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

When  I  came  on  deck  again  I  found  her  talking  to  Mrs. 
Solomons,  who  was  dressed  in  rose-colored  satin,  and  an  im- 
mense cream-colored  silk  handkerchief  over  her  head:  at 
each  ear  there  hung  a  solid  gold  earring,  shaped  like  a 
marlinspike  and  pretty  nearly  as  long;  a  massive  gold 
chain  was  slung  around  her  neck,  and  under  her  half-dozen 
chins  was  a  huge  brooch  containing  Solomons  in  oils,  with 
his  right  eye  partially  closed,  as  though  he  had  just  com- 
pleted a  bargain  when  he  sat  for  this  portrait.  Against 
such  a  figure,  Miss  Palmer  in  her  white  dress  and  sunny 
hair  looked  like  a  lily  alongside  a  peony.  Her  hat— I  mean 
Miss  Palmer's  hat,  for  I  love  to  be  particular — was  a  simple 
white  chip  with  a  lilac  satin  ribbon  bow  in  front ;  small  pearl 
earrings,  pale  lemon-colored  kid  shoes.  What  sort  of  taste 
would  this  be  considered  nowadays?  I  am  old  enough  to 
think  that  well-dressed  women  wore  prettier  clothes  when  I 
was  a  youth,  than  well-dressed  women  do  now.  But,  be 
this  as  it  may,  I  never  saw  a  dress,  a  color,  a  pair  of  gloves 
or  shoes  or  a  piece  of  jewelry  on  Madeline  Palmer,  that  did 
not  appear  to  have  been  invented  for  her  particular  face, 
figure,  and  character  of  beauty  alone,  and  for  nobody  else, 
by  an  artist  of  high  and  impassioned  judgment. 

I  see  her  in  my  mind's  eye  now,  sitting  on  the  skylight 
with  Mrs.  Solomons  by  her  side,  the  sky  as  white  as  silver, 
with  the  morning  sun  beyond  her,  her  beautiful  winning  gray 
eyes  fixed  upon  me  as  I  advanced,  threads  of  brouze  hair 
stirring  under  the  chip  hat  to  the  soft  wind  blowing  out  of 
the  hollow  of  the  great  spanker,  mittens  as  fine  as  cobwebs 
upon  her  hands  as  high  as  the  sparkling  rings,  the  clasped 
white  fingers  gleaming  like  new  ivory  upon  the  folds  of  her 
dress,  the  shadows  of  the  two  women  black  upon  the  sand- 
white  deck  at  their  feet. 

"  I  hope — speaking  of  you  of  course  as  a  sailor,  Mr.  Madi- 
son— that  you  now  feel  yourself  equal  to  the  task  of  making 
yourself  agreeable  to  ladies,"  says  she,  with  a  grave  face, 
and  running  her  eyes,  with  a  laughing  devil  in  them,  over 
my  clothes,  as  I  salute  Mrs.  Solomons,  and  ask  after  Jonas. 

"My  dear,  the  gentleman  knows  how  to  make  himself 
agreeable,"  observes  Mrs.  Solomons,  nodding  at  me  amiably 
and  encouragingly.      "  Will  breakfast  soon  be  ready,  sir?" 

"By  half-past  eight,   I  hope,    madam.     Miss  Palmer," 


JONATHAN  AGAIN.  365 

said  I,  "  as  I  feel  qualified  to  talk  now,  let  me  ask  what  sort 
of  a  night  you  passed?" 

"  A  very  good  night,  indeed.  '•' 

"No  nightmares,  I  hope — no  shadows  of  long-legged, 
yellow -faced  Yankees  flitting  through  your  dreams?" 

"No,  I  was  too  tired  to  dream." 

"  Mr.  Solomons  was  rather  uneasy,  or  I  should  have  slept 
well  too,"  said  Mrs.  Solomons.  "He  was  snuffling  all 
through  the  night  like  a  charity  boy.  He  is  still  abed,  sir. 
I  think  he's  took  cold." 

"  Very  likely, "  I  remarked.  "  I  routed  him  out  of  a  pool 
of  dew  here  last  night." 

"Now  isn't  that  Jonas  all  over!"  cried  she.  "What 
does  he  want  to  go  and  lie  in  a  pool  of  doo  for?  do  you 
think  he  told  me  what  he'd  been  doing?  when  I  asked  him 
what  made  him  snuffle  so,  he  said  it  was  his  nose.  That's 
the  thanks  I  got  for  troubling  myself.  But  all  husbands 
are  alike.  They  only  get  took  ill  in  my  opinion  to  worry 
their  wives.  You  never  hear  of  a  manfalliug  ill  when  he's 
a  sweetheart — do  you  now?  No,  he  waits  till  he's  a  hus- 
band. But  as  my  father,  Mr.  Aarons,  of  the  Minories — 
perhaps  you  may  have  heard  of  him,  mister?  he  has  a  pic- 
ter  shop  just  opposite  Wolf's,  the  wholesale  clothier's — 
as  my  father  used  to  say  when  anybody  came  to  him  with  a 
trouble:  '  What!  you  think  you're  going  to  mend  matters 
by  making  a  fuss!  Make  a  fuss  and  see  what  I'll  do  for 
you! '     There's  a  great  deal  in  that,  sir!" 

"  A  great  deal,  no  doubt, "  I  replied,  taking  her  word  for 
it,  and  exchanging  a  smile  with  Miss  Palmer,  as  the  fat  old 
woman  took  a  squint  down  the  skylight,  to  observe  what 
progress  Ransom's  preparations  for  breakfast  were  making. 

"  I  have  been  admiring  your  schooner,  Mr.  Madison,  as 
she  slides  along  yonder  with  that  line  of  foam  against  the 
band  that  looks  like  gold, "  exclaimed  Miss  Palmer.  "  What 
an  exceedingly  beautiful  vessel  she  is !  Do  you  notice  the 
reflection  of  her  sails  in  the  green  water,  and  how  lovely 
her  wake  looks  upon  the  sea,  like  a  streak  of  hoar-frost 
slowly  melting  off  a  field?  You  can  see  her  better  from  the 
bulwark." 

She  crossed  the  deck  as  an  excuse,  I  think,  to  get  away 
from  Mrs.  Solomons,  whose  vulgarity,  I  was  beginning  to 


366  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

discover,  was  of  that  unpleasantly  candid  sort  that  keeps 
the  fastidious  listener  in  a  constant  state  of  suspense. 

I  followed  her ;  but,  instead  of  looking  at  the  schooner, 
I  watched  her  large,  wistful  gray  eyes,  and  her  coral-like 
ears,  and  her  small  red-lipped  mouth  with  the  pearly  teeth 
glancing  like  snow,  and  the  beautiful  curve  of  her  dimpled 
chin  terminating  in  a  throat  of  white  velvet  with  the  blue 
veins  faintly  marked ;  her  cheeks  and  forehead  purely  fine 
indeed,  though  beheld  in  the  searching  light  of  the  sun — 
whose_microscopic  illumination  what  woman  does  not  dread? 
Well,  well;  this  is  parish  talk  indeed!  But  a  woman  is  a 
rare  bird  to  Jack,  as  any  man  shall  discover  who  will  ship 
himself  for  a  voyage;  and  when  he  meets  with  a  girl  like 
Madeline  Palmer,  he  may  surely  be  excused  for  pitching  his 
quid  overboard  and  sentimentalizing  for  a  spell. 

And  a  word  in  your  ear,  mate,  while  I  am  on  this  tack. 
Might  I  make  so  bold  as  to  suggest  that  it  is  pretty  nearly 
time  you  dropped  those  notions  of  the  typical  sailor  which 
you  have  got  from  your  'longshore  literature,  and  begin  to 
examine  the  real  man  himself  with  your  own  eyes  at  first 
hand?  in  order  that  he  may  get  a  chance  of  convincing  you 
that  he  is  not  the  wretched  swab,  the  theatrical  tar,  the 
dummy  in  flowing  breeches  he  is  represented  to  be  by 
writers  who  are  as  ignorant  of  the  sea  as  any  ploughman, 
and  whose  receipt  for  the  concoction  of  a  British  seaman  is 
an  hour's  study  of  Dibdin's  songs  for  such  nautical  terms  as 
may  there  be  read,  a  glazed  hat  and  a  junk  of  tobacco;  but 
(merchant  mate  or  naval  officer)  a  man  who  can  act  as  a 
gentleman  and  converse  as  a  gentleman — who  in  a  word  is 
about  as  much  like  the  theatrical,  poetical,  and  novelistic 
fresh -water  mountebank  whom  the  credulous  people  of  the 
greatest  maritime  country  in  the  world  accept  as  a  real 
sample  of  the  men  who  fight  their  naval  battles  and  circum- 
navigate the  globe  for  their  markets,  as  Punch  is  like 
Edmund  Kean.  Because  a  man  is  a  sailor,  because  his  life 
is  passed  upon  the  greatest  wonder  of  the  world,  because  he 
is  driven  by  stress  of  profession  to  behold  by  day  and  by 
night  the  majestic  scenery  of  the  heavens  and  the  deep — 
their  glory,  their  terror,  their  beauty — must  we  have  a  mind 
impatient  of  higher  objects  than  salt  pork  and  rum? — must 
his  mouth  be  full  of  oaths,  tobacco-juice,  and   professional 


JONATHAN  AGAIN.  367 

terms? — must  he  accept  as  his  likeness  any  vulgar  wretch 
whom  the  theatrical  dressers  force  into  duck-trousers,  low 
shoes,  and  tarpaulin  hat?  Accept  this  low  caricature  as  his 
portrait,  and  surely  you  do  the  seaman  an  unmanly  wrong 
and  a  mean  dishonor.  Yet  by  such  caricatures,  literary  and 
dramatic,  is  Jack  sung,  acted,  drawn  (and  quartered,  shall 
I  say?)  to  the  British  public,  who,  in  spite  of  leagues  of 
after-dinner  speeches,  of  poetry,  stage-plays,  and  rant  about 
meteor-flags,  wooden  walls  versus  wooden  shoes,  wet  sheets 
and  Mowing  seas,  and  bunting  that  has  braved  the  battle  and 
the  breeze — know  less  about  you,  0  ye  mariners  of  England! 
your  character,  habits,  and  conversation,  than  the  very  rud- 
est of  the  savage  tribes,  at  whose  distant  isles  ye  have  some- 
times touched  for  water! 

"  I  wonder  how  our  friends  like  their  new  quarters?"  con- 
tinued Miss  Palmer,  keeping  her  eyes  fixed  upon  the  Tigress. 
"  I  dare  say  they  miss  the  looking-glasses  and  gilt  of  the 
Namur,  but  Captain  Shelvocke's  cannons  and  men  will  com- 
fort them;  at  least  I  can  answer  for  Colonel  Bray." 

"  I  guess  by  the  smile  that  twinkles  at  the  corners  of  your 
mouth,  Miss  Palmer,  that  the  gallant  colonel  is  not  a  hero 
in  your  eyes,"  said  I. 

"Indeed  he  is  not,"  she  answered.  "Why,  you  can't 
imagine  the  cowardice  that  was  shown  on  board  this  ship 
when  the  Americans  boarded  her.  Not  the  least  resistance 
was  made;  the  men  yielded  like  a  flock  of  sheep.  Colonel 
Bray  from  whom  much  was  to  have  been  expected  after  the 
numerous  anecdotes  he  had  favored  us  with  during  the  voy- 
age, of  his  exploits  on  various  battlefields,  turned  as  white 
as  a  sheet  when  the  American  vessel  came  alongside,  and 
rushed  into  his  cabin.  The  only  person  that  showed  the 
least  spirit  was  Mr.  Solomons,  who  cried  out  to  Captain 
Salmon,  'Do  you  mean  to  say  you  aren't  going  to  fight?' 
'No,'  answered  Captain  Salmon,  with  his  knees  knocking 
together.  'Then  you're  a  disgrace  to  your  profession,'  said 
Mr.  Solomons,  snapping  his  fingers,  'and  the  sooner  the 
Yankees  dispatch  you  the  more  obleeged  English  sailors 
ought  to  be  to  them ! '  " 

The  contrast  of  her  sweet  face  and  her  mimicry  was  very 
entertaining  but  very  fascinating,  too ;  she  burst  into  a  laugh 
like  a  song  when  she  saw  me  laughing,  exclaiming: 


368  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

"  Oue  ought  to  be  angry  to  be  made  to  blush  for  one's 
countrymen,  but  Mr.  Solomon's  face  when  he  snapped  his 
fingers  at  Mr.  Salmon  was  quite  irresistible.  I  am  sure  the 
recollection  of  it  will  outlive  the  memory  of  my  own  feelings 
of  horror  and  despair." 

"  I  rather  suspected  the  colonel's  valiance  by  his  eager 
acceptance  of  our  offer  of  the  schooner's  accommodations," 
said  I.  "  Yet  he  may  be  a  braver  man  than  we  suppose — • 
courageous  ashore,  perhaps:  on  the  principle  of  an  Irish 
major  I  once  knew,  who  terrified  a  house  full  of  people  one 
night  by  the  cries  and  yells  he  raised  over  a  black  beetle  he 
had  found  in  his  bed.  When  twitted  on  his  cowardice — ■ 
'What  do  ye  mane?'  said  he.  'Had  a  regiment  of  French- 
men entered  me  room  I'd  have  cut  them  to  pieces,  sir :  such 
is  me  spirit.     Bat  whose  going  to  face  a  black  beetle?'  " 

"  Yes,  that  is  always  the  excuse  of  the  small-spirited 
men,"  she  said,  laughing.  "'Confront  me  with  any  other 
danger  than  this,  and  you  would  see  what  a  terrible  fellow 
lam!'  Yet  the  English  must  be  a  brave  race,  or  they  never 
could  have  won  so  many  battles.  But  surely  there  are  some 
dreadful  cowards  among  them,  Mr.  Madison?" 

"  A  few  more  than  the  country  wants,  I  am  afraid,  though 
I  am  astonished  that  the  number  should  be  so  small,  con- 
sidering the  heaps  of  incompetent  fellows  who  are  poked 
into  leading  positions  by  private  patronage.  The  best  proof 
of  the  high  standard  of  English  courage  is,  that  centuries, 
I  may  say,  of  departmental  truckling,  time-serving,  neglect 
of  conspicuous  merit,  and  bestowal  of  place,  power,  and 
honors  on  men  whose  only  significance  lies  among  their  re- 
lations, have  not,  down  to  the  present  year,  unfitted  us  for 
opposing,  and  sometimes  beating,  the  arms  of  the  countries 
who  bid  us  defiance.  .  .  .  All  right,  Ransom.  Mrs.  Sol- 
omons, breakfast  is  on  the  table.  I  cannot  offer  you  my  arm 
as  the  companion-steps  are  rather  narrow." 

"Thank  you,  mister,  I  can  manage  without  you." 

We  bundled  into  the  cabin,  where  I  had  the  satisfaction 
of  perceiving  that  Ransom  had  considerably  improved  upon 
his  first  notion  of  table-laying.  The  snowy  damask  table- 
cloth ;  the  silver  and  crockery ;  the  ferns  around  the  sky- 
light; the  bright  sunbeams  slanting  into  a  tall  mirror  that 
redistributed  the  light  in  warm  ripples  of  radiance  upon  the 


JONATHAN  AGAIN.  369 

glossy  panelling — the  whole  topped  by  the  fragrance  of 
coffee  and  other  good  things — made  the  cabin  appeal  com- 
fortably to  the  nose  as  well  as  the  eyes;  but  the  sweetest 
and  fairest  part  of  the  whole  arrangement,  to  my  mind, 
was  the  presence  of  Madeline  Palmer,  who,  after  removing 
her  hat,  took  a  seat  opposite  me. 

Mrs.  Solomons  came  out  of  her  cabin,  and  told  us  her 
husband  was  still  abed,  but  felt  better ;  so  we  sent  him  his 
breakfast  by  Ransom,  who,  at  the  old  man's  request,  left 
the  door  of  the  berth  wide  open. 

"  For  I  can  listen  to  you  talking,  if  I  can't  join  in  my- 
self!" Solomons  shouted;  "and  Rachel  can  hear  me  if  I 
want  anything,  for  I  can't  get  out  of  my  cot  without  help!" 

"That's  the  worst  of  them  things,"  observed  Mrs.  Solo- 
mons. "  They're  the  orkadist  inventions,  and  I  only  won- 
der that  Mr.  Solomons  has  the  courage  to  trust  himself  in 
'em.  He  has  to  get  upon  a  cheer  to  reach  it,  and  I've 
known  him  to  be  a  quarter  of  an  hour  dodging  it  when  the 
ship  rolls,  like  a  horse  at  the  end  of  a  bridle.  He  was  as 
nigh  killed  as  ever  a  man  was  a  fortnight  ago,  for  he  jumped 
at  the  wrong  time,  the  cheer  upset,  and  there  he  was  left 
clinging  to  the  side  of  the  cot.  'Push,  Rachel!'  he  says  to 
me;  and  push  I  did  until  the  perspiration  flowed  down  my 
cheeks;  but  the  more  I  pushed,  the  further  the  orked  thing 
went  toward  the  ceiling,  until  the  vessel  gave  a  heave  the 
contrairy  way,  and  his  whole  weight  came  against  me, 
which  obliged  me  to  let  go,  or  I  should  have  been  thrown 
down;  and  then  he  says:  Tor  the  Lord's  sake,  Rachel, 
spread  a  mattress  under  me,  to  let  me  drop  soft,  or  I  shall 
break  my  neck — I  know  I  shall!'  and  I  had  to  pull  my  bed 
to  pieces  to  let  him  fall  soft,  as  he  called  it.  I'd  as  lief 
sleep  hung  upon  a  hook  as  in  one  of  them  swinging  beds." 

"There  she  goes — giving  all  the  family  noose!"  shouted 
Solomons,  with  his  mouth  full,  which,  added  to  the  cold  in 
his  head,  did  not  greatly  improve  the  natural  melody  of  his 
voice. 

Mrs.  Solomons  made  no  answer,  and  I  took  advantage  of 
the  silence  to  ask  Miss  Palmer  if  she  had  written  to  her 
father  to  inform  him  of  her  intention  to  join  him. 

"No;  I  made  up  my  mind  to  go  out  to  him  as  soon  as  I 
learned  the  state  of  his  health;  therefore  I  supposed  my 
24 


370         AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

writing  would  have  been  to  no  purpose,  as  I  counted  on 
arriving  at  Jamaica  as  soon  as,  if  not  before,  my  letter 
could  reach  him." 

"He  will  be  greatly  surprised  to  see  you,  I  dare  say." 

"  He  will  indeed,  and  a  little  angry  too,  I  have  no  doubt," 
she  answered,  smiling ;  "  but  I  think  the  unexpectedness  of 
my  appearance  will  produce  the  effect  I  want." 

"  Your  devotion  should  make  him  feel  very  proud  of  you," 
said  I,  admiring  the  thoughtful  beauty  her  eyes  had  taken  at 
the  mention  of  his  name. 

"I  hope — if  the  movements  of  your  vessel  permit — to 
have  the  pleasure  of  introducing  you  to  him,"  she  said. 
"  I  am  sure,  after  you  have  known  him  a  little  while,  you 
will  not  wonder  at  my  devotion." 

"Rachel,  another  cup  of  coffee,"  shouted  Solomons. 

A  footstep  on  the  companion-ladder  caused  me  to  look 
around.     Parell  entered  hurriedly. 

"  The  schooner  has  made  a  signal,  sir,  and  shortened  sail. 
We  are  driving  down  upon  her  fast." 

With  an  apology  to  the  ladies,  I  left  the  table  and  ran 
on  deck.  My  first  glance  was  at  the  Tigress,  at  whose  main 
was  blowing  a  long  blue-and-yellow  pennant,  her  sails  were 
shivering  in  the  light  breeze,  and  she  was  almost  stationary 
upon  the  water;  we  were  approaching  her  quickly,  and  al- 
ready I  could  see  Shelvocke's  figure  mounted  upon  the  bul- 
wark ready  to  hail  when  we  were  within  earscope.  My 
second  glance  was  around,  but  the  horizon  was  speckless; 
indeed,  the  air  was  marvellously  transparent,  and  the  water 
so  brightly  and  beautifully  clear  down  to  the  remotest 
reaches  of  it,  that  it  was  like  looking  at  it  through  a 
lens. 

As  we  neared  the  schooner  they  let  her  gather  fresh  way, 
and  then  gave  her  a  sheer  that  brought  the  two  vessels 
close.  I  immediately  perceived  that  something  unusual  had 
happened  or  was  about  to  happen ;  all  the  passengers  who 
had  been  transferred  to  the  Namur  were  on  the  schooner's 
quarterdeck,  and  the  bulwarks  were  lined  with  the  heads 
of  the  crew.  Two  men  were  aloft  on  the  topgallant-yard 
staring  into  the  west  with  their  hands  sheltering  their  eyes, 
and  above  them  on  the  royal -yard  was  Tapping,  with  his 
eye  glued  to  a  telescope  that  he  was  pointing  into  the  quar- 


JONATHAN  AGAIN.  871 

ter  whither  the  men  were  gazing.  I  lifted  iny  hat  and 
waited  for  Shelvocke's  hail. 

"  The  royals  and  topgallant  sails  of  what  is  apparently  a 
large  ship  heading  directly  for  us  have  just  been  reported 
by  the  lookout  men  aloft,"  he  sung  out.  "Should  she 
prove  an  enemy,  I  will  bother  her  with  my  shot,  while  you 
crack  on  every  inch  of  sail  you  can  spread  and  get  away." 

"Right,  sir." 

"  I  will  haul  the  wind  for  her,  and  meanwhile  you  can 
check  the  weather  main  braces.  If  she  prove  an  enemy  I 
will  hoist  a  small  red  square  flag  at  the  fore — if  a  friend, 
the  ensign  at  the  peak." 

I  held  up  my  hand  to  betoken  I  heard  him. 

"  The  instant  you  see  the  reel  flag  at  the  fore,  square  away 
and  be  off.  I  will  worry  the  enemy  until  you  are  out  of 
sight.  Once  clear,  you  will  of  course  brace  up  sharp  again, 
and  make  a  course  for  Kingston." 

I  touched  my  hat.  He  then  turned  and  addressed  some 
words  to  the  passengers,  and  by  the  manner  he  pointed 
toward  us  and  then  toward  the  horizon  where  the  stranger 
had  been  descried,  I  presumed  that  he  was  offering  them 
a  chance  of  returning  to  their  old  quarters.  Evidently  they 
preferred  to  remain  where  they  were,  for  looking  my  way 
again  he  exclaimed :  "  Keep  a  bright  lookout  for  my  signal, 
Mr.  Madison,  and  try  your  craft  on  all  points  should  I  fail 
to  draw  the  enemy  off.     God-speed!" 

He  waved  his  hand  and  sprang  on  to  the  deck ;  the  boat- 
swain's pipe  chirruped — jibs,  topsails,  and  staysails  poised 
their  swelling  folds  between  the  lofty  masts,  and  the  noble 
vessel  hauled  away  from  us  like  a  great  white  cloud. 

I  watched  her,  as  she  clove  the  bright  green  water,  with 
a  strong  feeling  of  melancholy.  I  cannot  express  how  en- 
deared was  the  beautiful  vessel  to  my  mind,  and  how  this 
adieu  saddened  me. 

"  Captain  Shelvocke  ought  to  be  very  proud  of  his  Tigress, " 
said  a  sweet  voice  behind  me.  "  Surely,  Mr.  Madison,  I 
cannot  be  wrong  in  supposing  her  to  be  one  of  the  most 
graceful  vessels  ever  built." 

"  What  a  marvellously  quiet  footstep  you  have,  Miss  Pal- 
mer !  Your  tread  is  as  soft  as  the  fall  of  a  leaf.  Ay,  in- 
deed, as  you  say,  the  Tigress  is  a  graceful  vessel.     Look  how 


372         AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

delicately  her  side  curves  as  she  heels  over,  and  how  richly 
her  copper  shines  against  the  white  foam;  and  see  how 
lovely  is  the  swell  of  the  central  cloths  of  her  sails,  while 
the  leeches  are  as  taut  as  harpstrings ;  and  notice  how  the 
sun  sparkles  in  the  bright  wood  of  her  masts  and  in  the  glass 
of  her  portholes  and  the  burnished  brass  of  the  binnacle- 
cover!  Can  you  be  surprised  that  a  sailor  should  sometimes 
love  his  ship  as  a  sweetheart,  and  think  and  speak  of  her 
with  as  deep  a  tenderness  as  if  she  were  a  woman?" 

"Not  at  all  surprised,  though  I  am  unable  to  do  full  jus- 
tice to  the  beauties  you  have  so  glowiDgly  pointed  out,  as 
I  do  not  quite  understand  all  the  terms  you  used,"  she  re- 
plied, looking  at  me  with  a  grave  face,  but  with  an  arch  ex- 
pression in  her  eyes :  "  I  thoroughly  sympathize  with  a 
sailor's  love  for  his  ship,  and  think  him  a  very  wise  man 
indeed  to  pin  his  affection  to  an  object  so  full  of  life,  beauty, 
and  fidelity." 

"Yes,  fidelity  certainly,  whether  beautiful  or  not,"  said 
I,- searching  her  eyes  for  a  deeper  meaning  than  lay  in  her 
words,  and  only  getting  puzzled  for  my  pains. 

"Fidelity,  of  course,  so  long  as  she  keeps  afloat.     If  she 
sinks  and  drowns  her  lover  she  may  be  said,  I  suppose,  to 
have  betrayed  his  confidence?" 
•    "  You  push  the  allegory  too  far,"  said  I,  laughing. 

"  Will  you  tell  me  what  the  schooner  wanted?" 

I  explained. 

"Where  is  the  ship?"  she  inquired,  looking  around 
her. 

"Yonder,"  I  replied,  pointing;  "she  will  heave  in  sight 
presently.  Meanwhile  I  must  watch  the  Tigress  closely  for 
her  signal." 

I  fetched  a  telescope,  and  placed  a  chair  alongside  the 
gun  upon  which  I  had  been  leaning.  Miss  Palmer  seated 
herself  while  I  sighted  the  glass.  Some  hands  were  aloft 
bending  the  royal  and  topgallant  sails  to  the  yards  which 
had  been  crossed  before  breakfast.  I  called  to  them  to  tell 
me  if  they  could  see  anything  of  the  vessel  beyond  the 
schooner. 

"Ay,  plainly,  sir,"  replied  one  of  them.  "  She's  under  a 
press  of  sail,  but  she  rises  slow." 

"I  am  not  sorry  that  Mr.  Solomons  is  in  bed,  Miss  Pal- 


JONATHAN  AGAIN.  373 

mer;  his  wife  will  no  doubt  remain  in  his  cabin,  and  I  shall 
be  spared  a  worrying  cross-examination." 

"Oh,  they  are  very  good-natured  people,"  she  answered, 
"  though  more  vulgar  than  I  should  have  thought  possible  in 
persons  possessed  of  so  much  wealth  as  they  are  said  to 
have.  Pray  don't  suppose  I  mean  that  money  refines,  but 
one  always  is  astonished  to  find  the  airs  and  graces  of  cooks 
and  dustmen  in  people  possessed  of  wealth.  I  did  not 
greatly  fancy  the  Solomons  at  first,  but  as  I  grew  used  to 
their  talk  and  manners,  I  found  them  more  endurable  as  ac- 
quaintances, until  at  last  they  have  really  made  me  like 
them." 

"  For  that  they  must  surely  be  more  indebted  to  your 
kindness  than  to  themselves." 

"  Mr.  Madison,  as  a  sailor  you  ought  to  be  a  liberal-minded 
man." 

"I  am,"  I  interrupted. 

"  Prejudice  is  bad  enough  in  a  person  like  me,  who  has 
never  travelled  out  of  England  and  is  acquainted  only  with 
people  in  my  own  sphere  of  life.  But  in  men  who  have 
visited  all  sorts  of  countries,  and  beheld  all  sorts  of  persons, 
prejudice  is  incomprehensible;  to  call  it  intolerable  would 
not  express  my  opinion  of  it." 

"  Keally,  Miss  Palmer,  I  hope " 

"  I  am  not  in  the  least  personal  in  what  I  am  saying!"  she 
exclaimed,  with  her  rich,  hearty  laugh.  "  When  one  meets 
people  like  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Solomons,  one  ought  to  think  of 
one's  self  as  a  traveller  who  has  lighted  on  a  new  kind  of 
flesh  and  blood,  that  may  be  very  vulgar,  glittering,  tawdry, 
and  uncomfortable,  according  to  one's  own  ideas  of  correct 
behavior,  but  that  is  flesh  and  blood,  for  all  that,  like  one's 
self,  and  that  may  be — unlike  one's  self — full  of  kindness, 
generosity,  and  good  feeling — even  above  the  mark  that 
one  has  been  used  to  find  in  fine  ladies  and  gentlemen." 

"Quite  so,  and  I  am  thankful  for  a  good  idea." 

"  People  like  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Solomons  can  no  more  help 
being  vulgar  and  tawdry  than  a  negro  can  help  being  black, 
Mr.  Madison.  But  if  the  negro  be  a  good  man,  shall  his 
black  skin  prevent  you  from  acknowledging  him  to  be  what 
you  gentlemen  call  a  good  fellow,  and  liking  him  for  that 
goodness?     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Solomons  drop  their  h's,  I  know. 


374  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

and  call  you  mister,  and  say  'you  was,'  instead  of  'you 
were,'  and  have  a  shocking  bad  taste  in  colors  and  jewelry. 
But  if  they  are  a  kind  and  friendly  disposed  couple,  willing 
to  oblige  you  in  any  way  you  may  suggest,  do  not  they  de- 
serve from  liberal-minded  persons  the  esteem  they  would 
get  from  narrow-minded  persons  were  they  polished,  and 
only  polished?" 

"  You  reason  so  well  that,  to  answer  you  like  an  Irish- 
man, you  would  persuade  me  to  your  way  of  thinking, 
whether  I  agreed  with  you  or  not.  But  I  do  agree  with 
you,  and  that  my  sincerity  may  be  proved,  I  will  ask  you 
to  observe  the  reverence  which  the  Solomonses  will  hence- 
forth receive  from  me." 

The  effort  of  speaking  had  raised  a  charming  flush  on  her 
cheeks,  and  her  fine  eyes  sparkled  as  she  laid  her  head  back 
on  the  chair  and  looked,  with  a  smile  brightening  her  parted 
lips,  at  the  men  at  work  aloft. 

"I  have  done  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Solomons,"  said  she. 
"Let  us  talk  no  more  of  them." 

"Very  well,  Miss  Palmer." 

"  If  that  strange  ship  for  which  you  are  watching  should 
prove  to  be  an  enemy,  will  you  be  able  to  escape  from 
her?" 

"  With  the  help  of  the  Tigress  I  shall  hope  to  do  so." 

"And  if  you  fail?" 

"We  mustn't  fail." 

"  How  can  you  have  the  heart  to  coolly  argue  with  me  on 
prejudice,  Mr.  Madison,  when,  for  all  you  know,  a  serious 
danger  is  at  hand?"  said  she,  turning  her  eyes  fully  and 
searchingly  upon  me. 

"  The  clanger — if  danger  there  be — is  as  obvious  to  you 
as  to  me;  yet  you  can  argue  on  prejudice  as  coolly  as  I." 

"Perhaps  I  am  not  afraid,"  she  exclaimed.  "You  see 
we  have  a  new  captain  and  crew ;  and  besides,  Colonel  Bray 
is  not  here  to  dishearten  me  with  his  white  face.  However, 
do  not  suppose  I  undervalue  the  risk  we  are  going  to  run 
because  I  find  nothing  to  disturb  me  in  your  manner.  I 
quite  understand  from  your  explanation  that  the  Tigress 
will  endeavor  to  divert  the  strange  ship,  should  she  prove 
an  enemy,  from  chasing  us  by  firing  at  her;  but  if  the 
Ti<Jress,  tactics  fail,  and  the  stranger  sails  faster  than  we — 


JONATHAN  AGAIN.  375 

and  I  may  tell  you,  Mr.  Madison,  that  the  Namur  is  not  a 
fast  ship — we  shall  be  captured!" 

"  If — if.  But  you  know  that  where  there's  an  'if  there's 
a  way.  You  have  certainly  construed  rny  brief  explanation 
with  surprising  precision ;  no  sailor  who  had  been  to  sea  all 
his  life  could  have  put  our  possibilities  in  a  more  ship-shape 
manner  before  me.  And  now  I  will  ask  you  to  let  us  talk 
no  more  of  the  strange  ship.  You  owe  me  that  kindness  for 
dropping  the  subject  of  the  Solomonses." 

"Very  well,  Mr.  Madison;  but  you  must  allow  me  to 
help  you  to  watch  for  the  vessel.  What  part  of  the  sea 
will  she  first  appear  in,  did  you  say?" 

"Yonder,  to  the  left  of  the  schooner." 

She  shifted  the  position  of  her  chair,  and  we  watched 
together  for  some  time  without  speaking.  But  though  I 
did  not  speak,  I  was  full  enough  of  thought — as  the  boy 
said  of  the  parrot  that  wouldn't  talk.  In  writing  of  this 
girl  I  can  only  set  down,  of  her  conversation,  the  few  pas- 
sages of  it  which  I  recall — commonplace  enough  they  are, 
too,  you  think:  and  so  I  should  think  myself,  did  they  not 
come  back  to  me  informed  and  illuminated  by  her  rich  melo- 
dious voice  and  laugh,  the  varying  expressions  of  her  face, 
beautiful  in  every  change;  her  deep,  sincere  gray  eyes,  now 
smiling,  now  wistful,  now  searching,  now  inscrutable,  as 
they  looked  inward  or  away  beyond  where  my  imagination 
could  follow :  and,  above  all,  by  the  permanent  and  pictur- 
esque quality  of  refined  frankness,  sometimes  warmly  cor- 
dial, but  always  maidenly,  that  was  as  active  and  as  essen- 
tial a  part  of  her  delightful  character  as  her  heart  was  of 
her  body. 

"Sail  ho!"  she  presently  sung  out,  imitating  the  nautical 
cry,  but  in  tones  like  the  lower  notes  of  a  flute. 

I  looked  at  her,  and  laughed,  then  peered;  but  seeing 
nothing,  levelled  the  glass,  and  immediately  made  out  a 
quivering  gleam  of  white,  like  a  fragment  of  paper  upon  the 
water-line. 

All  this  while  the  schooner,  under  a  whole  cloud  of  can- 
vas, was  drawing  away  from  us  fast,  and  by  this  time  had 
stretched  well  toward  the  stranger,  lying  up  so  as  to  bring 
her  about  two  points  on  the  starboard  bow.  The  winds  had 
breezed  up  somewhat  and  deepened  the  green  of  the  water. 


376  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

and  was  making  it  twinkle  under  the  brilliant  sunshine 
with  glancing  foam,  and  my  crew  were  singing  out  as  they 
sheeted  home  the  newly-bent  royal  and  topgallant  sails,  and 
tailed  on  to  the  halliards.  The  sails  of  the  distant  ship  rose 
ont  of  the  sea  like  the  disk  of  the  moon,  with  the  silvery 
whiteness  of  the  planet,  and  with  much  of  the  effect  of  the 
beauty  of  her  slow  and  mild  enlargement.  I  watched  cloth 
after  cloth  rise  up,  until  the  foot  of  her  fore-course  was  an 
arch  upon  the  horizon ;  but  it  was  impossible  to  guess  her 
character  or  even  to  form  an  opinion  of  her  size  at  that 
distance. 

"Parell,"  I  called,  keeping  my  eye  all  the  time  at  the 
glass  that  covered  the  schooner,  "  turn  all  hands  up  to  stand 
by  to  man  the  weather-braces,  and  see  your  stun' sail  gear 
all  clear!" 

"  Is  it  possible  to  tell  what  country  a  ship  belongs  to  be- 
fore she  shows  her  flag,  Mr.  Madison?"  asked  Miss  Palmer. 

"  Sometimes,  but  we  never  can  be  sure.  The  Americana 
mix  so  much  cotton  in  their  canvas,  that  their  vessels  may 
occasionally  be  known  by  their  sails.  Yonder  fellow's  are 
white  enough." 

"They  are  like  snow." 

"Yes,  but  the  morning  light  streams  broadly  on  her," 
said  I,  "  and  it  must  be  old  and  soiled  canvas  indeed  that 
will  not  gleam  like  swan's  down  at  that  distance,  and  in 
such  brilliant  sunshine." 

I  shifted  the  glass  as  I  spoke  from  the  schooner  to  the 
ship  beyond.  The  upper  portion  of  her  hull  was  just  visi- 
ble, and  as  she  had  studding-sails  set  on  both  sides,  she 
looked  like  the  brow  of  a  big  white  cloud  projecting  above 
the  horizon. 

I  put  the  telescope  down  and  glanced  aloft,  mentally  cal- 
culating the  extra  sail  it  was  in  our  power  to  make.  Some 
minutes  passed — the  Tiyress  had  fined  down  into  a  small 
but  clearly  marked  shape  upon  the  sea;  she  looked  like  a 
toy,  and  yet  the  atmosphere  was  so  exquisitely  transparent 
that  even  at  that  distance  her  standing  rigging  was  visible 
to  the  naked  eye.  Beyond  and  ahead  of  her  towered  the 
form  of  the  stranger,  heading  so  straight  for  us  that  her 
three  masts  were  in  one. 

All  at  once  I  noticed  a  small  black  ball  soar  against  the 


JONATHAN  AGAIN.  377 

schooner's  foresail,  and  as  it  sped  like  a  bird  to  the  fore- 
niasthead,  the  canvas  quivered  as  though  viewed  through 
a  haze  of  heat. 

"By  Jupiter,  she  is  going  about!"  I  exclaimed — "look 
out  now!"  And  I  had  scarcely  said  this,  when  the  little 
dark  pellet  at  the  mast-head  broke  into  a  gleaming  red  flag, 
and  there  was  the  schooner  edging  away  on  the  port-tack. 
I  dashed  down  the  glass,  and  sprang  to  my  feet. 

"Round  in  the  weather  main-braces!"  I  shouted:  "let 
go  to  leeward — put  your  helm  up  there — cheerily  now!" 

For  some  minutes  all  was  bustle;  ropes  flung  down,  men 
singing,  yards  creaking. 

"Steady — so!  keep  her  at  that.  Up  aloft,  some  of  you, 
and  get  the  lower  fore  and  topmast  stun' sail  booms  rigged 
out!" 

The  men,  comprehending  the  position,  rushed  actively  as 
cats  into  the  rigging.  I  ran  aft  to  look  at  the  compass. 
The  shifting  of  the  helm  had  brought  both  the  schooner  and 
— as  I  might  now  call  her — the  enemy  a  little  abaft  the 
beam,  by  which  manoeuvre  I  had  got  the  wind  into  the  quar- 
ter that  rendered  every  cloth  we  could  stretch  upon  the 
Namur  serviceable.  Tearing  off  my  coat,  I  sprang  into  the 
waist  to  help  the  men  to  send  the  studding-sails  aloft;  this 
done,  the  main-topmast  studding-sail  boom  was  run  out,  and 
while  we  were  setting  this  sail,  the  topgallant  studding-sail 
was  got  ready.  We  toiled  like  madmen;  and  thirty  men, 
working  with  ordinary  smartness,  could  not  have  made 
greater  despatch  with  the  job  of  crackling  on  sail  than  we. 
The  ship  felt  the  increased  pressure,  and  a  belt  of  foam, 
like  newly-drawn  milk,  hummed  pleasantly  alongside. 

Nothing  more  could  be  done  for  the  present;  and,  glass 
in  hand,  I  posted  myself  abreast  of  the  main-brace  bump- 
kin, and  watched  the  two  vessels  to  windward.  Miss  Pal- 
mer came  quietly  along  the  deck,  and  stationed  herself  at 
my  side. 

"The  race  has  fairly  begun,"  said  she;  "of  course  the 
ship  is  an  enemy?" 

"  Yes;  that  red  flag  on  the  schooner  says  so!" 

"  She  looks  a  very  large  ship,  Mr.  Madison?" 

"  Apparently  what  sailors  call  a  heavy  corvette.  I  think 
there  can  be  no  doubt  of  her  being  an  American," 


378  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

I  was  watching  the  enemy  steadfastly  through  the  glass, 
and  was  a  little  more  dismayed  perhaps  than  I  ought  to  have 
been  by  the  formidable  appearance  she  presented,  now  that 
her  hull  was  hove  up  and  the  whole  massive  fabric,  from 
the  water-line  to  the  main-truck,  visible.  Suddenly  she 
braced  up  her  yards,  hauled  the  wind,  and  took  in  her 
lee  studding-sails.  The  whole  manoeuvre  was  executed  in 
a  breath. 

"After  us,  by  heaven! — and  see,  she  tries  her  range!" 

A  mass  of  white  smoke  sailed  out  of  her  lee-bow  from  a 
gun  evidently  aimed  at  the  Tigress,  who  was  in  stays,  hav- 
ing tacked  the  instant  the  enemy  put  her  helm  down.  But 
before  the  report  of  the  cannon  rolled  down  to  us,  a  red 
light  flashed  on  the  schooner,  and  there  blew  from  her  side 
a  cloud  that  resembled  a  small  ball  of  cotton-wool,  which 
grew  bigger  and  bigger  as  it  drove  along  the  water.  The 
two  reports  reached  us  one  after  the  other  like  a  double- 
knock  on  a  door. 

"This  won't  do,  Parell!"  I  sung  out.  "We  must  make 
a  stern  chase  of  it,  or  that  fellow  will  be  striking  us  at  an 
angle.  So  square  away  fore  and  aft,  and  get  your  port 
stun'sail  booms  rigged  out,  and  the  sails  hoisted!" 

The  ship  was  now  put  dead  before  the  wind.  But  a  few 
moments  after  our  helm  was  shifted  the  enemy  shifted  his, 
and  there  he  was,  dead  in  our  wake,  though,  to  be  sure,  a 
long  way  astern,  with  studding-sails  out  on  both  sides.  It 
was  now  evident  that  he  twigged  our  tactics,  and  that  the 
Namur  was  the  particular  game  he  aimed  for.  This  indeed 
might  have  been  anticipated,  for  our  character  would  be 
guessed  by  many  signs  transparent  enough  to  a  nautical  eye, 
and  they  would  reckon  by  the  trim  of  our  hull  that  we  were 
a  well-freighted  ship. 

But  they  had  yet  to  learn  the  sort  of  stuff  the  Tigress 
was  made  of. 

Shortly  after  she  had  discharged  her  first  shot  at  the 
enemy,  she  again  tacked,  and  while  in  stays,  dosed  the  cor- 
vette with  a  broadside.  The  salute  was  immediately  an- 
swered by  a  furious  discharge  that,  to,  all  appearance,  did 
the  schooner  no  injury  whatever.  I  saw  her  white  sails 
gleaming  unscathed  upon  the  towering  withe-like  masts  as 
the  noble  little  vessel  shot  into  the  windj  and  as  she  luffed 


JONATHAN  AGAIN.  379 

to  meet  the  breeze,  she  fired  single  shots  at  the  big  enemy, 
one  after  another  as  fast  as  her  guns  could  be  loaded. 

"They'll  never  be  able  to  stand  her  if  once  they  let  her 
get  to  windward!"  I  exclaimed,  thinking  aloud  in  my  ex- 
citement. "  Look  how  magnificently  she  holds  her  luff  and 
crawls  upon  the  enemy's  quarter,  dosing  her  with  shot  which 
I  know  must  be  heavily  telling;  and  every  foot  of  progress 
she  makes  weakens  the  enemy  by  a  gun  while  she  keeps  her 
helm  amidships !  Bravo,  Shelvocke !  that  was  nobly  man- 
aged!" I  shouted,  as  a  line  of  flame  belched  from  the 
schooner's  side,  and  shrouded  her  in  a  thick  canopy  of 
smoke.  "  Will  the  fools  let  him  rake  them?  See,  he  tacks 
again!  By  heaven,  he  has  the  English  ensign  hoisted! 
Well  done,  little  one!  Load  again  smartly — but  hold  your 
shot  a  few  moments  longer,  until  you  open  his  stern!" 

In  my  excitement,  and  utterly  unconscious  of  what  I  was 
doing,  I  had  seized  Miss  Palmer's  arm  by  the  wrist,  and  was 
flourishing  it  as  though  I  grasped  a  cutlass. 

"Dear  me!  I  most  sincerely  beg  your  pardon.  I  hope 
I  have  not  hurt  you  Miss  Palmer?" 

"  Not  in  the  least — indeed,  I  did  not  feel  your  hand,"  she 
replied,  laughing  heartily,  but  with  her  eyes  all  aglow  with 
the  excitement  of  the  scene.  "  Oh,  Mr.  Madison,  what 
courage  your  people  are  showing!  How  splendidly  your 
captain  works  his  vessel!  It  makes  one's  heart  leap  to  see 
such  heroism!  Constrast  the  sizes  of  the  two  ships — and 
see  how  manfully  the  Tigress  fights  her  enemy!" 

By  this  time  the  men  had  done  their  work  aloft,  and, 
forgetful  of  the  etiquette  of  shipboard  in  the  deep  interest 
of  the  moment,  had  grouped  themselves  upon  the  quarter- 
deck to  watch  the  vessels  astern  of  us;  and  there  we  all 
stood,  looking  intently  one  way,  while  from  time  to  time  ex- 
clamations broke  from  the  men  as  the  cannonading  between 
the  schooner  and  the  corvette  grew  heavier  and  heavier.  It 
was  not  always  easy,  however,  to  see  what  the  combatants 
were  about,  for  the  smoke  of  the  guns  rolled  down  between 
them  and  us,  and  floated  like  a  dense  fog  upon  the  water, 
producing  a  very  remarkable  appearance  with  the  effect  of 
the  seas  brilliantly  sparkling  on  either  side  of  it;  but  now 
and  again  the  folds  would  be  rent  asunder  by  the  breeze  and 
form  a  lane,  through  which  sometimes  the  ship  and  some- 


380         AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

times  the  schooner,  sometimes  both  vessels  together,  were 
visible,  gleaming  like  spectral  forms  amid  the  snow-white 
convolutions  of  smoke  which  framed  their  shining-sails. 

"She  don't  seem  inclined  to  let  us  go,  sir,"  said  Parell, 
chewing  his  junk  of  tobacco  in  his  excitement  as  earnestly 
as  if  he  were  eating  his  breakfast.  "  The  little  un'  can't 
divart  her. " 

"  It  certainly  looks  like  it, "  I  replied  gloomily,  as,  through 
a  break  in  the  smoke,  I  noticed  the  towering  form  of  the 
ship  heading  dead  for  us  and  overhauling  us  slowly,  but 
most  surely.  Indeed,  the  Namur  was  one  of  those  fat, 
stumpy  ships  which  need  a  gale  of  wind  to  drive  them. 
She  was  what  old  women  would  call  a  safe  boat,  high  and 
dry,  very  roomy  and  very  strong— a  big,  motherly,  lubberly 
craft,  but  heavy  to  work  and  heavy  to  sail;  and  that  the 
corvette  gained  but  slowly  upon  her  was  pretty  good  proof 
that  she  was  by  no  means  a  clipper  either,  and  that  if  Shel- 
vocke  could  only  induce  her  to  tackle  him,  the  field  would 
soon  be  clear  for  us. 

"  Note  what's  the  matter?"  wheezed  a  voice  behind  me. 
"What  a  wonderful  thing  it  is  people  won't  leave  one 
another  alone.     More  powder  wasting,  and  for  what  ?" 

I  turned  and  confronted  Mr.  Solomons,  and  behind  him 
stood  his  wife. 

"  Good-morning,  Mr.  Solomons ;  I  am  glad  to  see  you  on 
deck.     I  hope  your  cold  is  better?" 

"  Good-morning,  thir.  Good-morning,  Miss  Palmer. 
No,  my  cold  is  not  better,  I'm  obliged  to  you.  Will  you 
be  good  enough  to  tell  me  what's  going  on  yonder?"  said 
he,  extending  his  shrivelled  shining  hand  toward  the  two 
vessels. 

"  The  big  chap  is  in  chase  of  us,  and  the  Tigress  is  trying 
to  claw  him  into  turning  upon  her,  so  that  we  may  escape. 
That's  all,  Mr.  Solomons." 

"That's  all,  indeed!"  cried  Mrs.  Solomons.  "A  pretty 
big  all  it  looks  to  me,  Jonas.  What  might  the  ship  be, 
mister?" 

"An  American,  I  suspect." 

"  What?"  squealed  the  poor  woman,  with  a  wild  toss  of 
her  hands,  while  her  face  turned  to  the  color  of  a  blanc- 
mange, and  looked  uncommonly  like  one,  too,  with  her  chins 


JONATHAN  AGAIN.  381 

quivering  one  on  top  of  the  other.  "Another  American! 
Now,  Jonas,  what  did  I  tell  you?  didn't  I  beg  and  pray  of 
you  to  change  into  the  schooner?  Here's  a  pretty  mess!  no 
sooner  out  of  one  trouble  than  into  another.  Why  didn't 
you  accept  the  gentlemau's  offer  to  change  your  ship  like 
the  others  did?" 

"  Don't  bother  me  !"  growled  her  husband.  "  Blarst  the 
Americans!" 

"You  needn't  alarm  yourself,  Mrs.  Solomons,"  said  I, 
noticing  the  crew  grinning  as  they  ran  their  eyes  over  her 
figure.  "  We  shall  be  able  to  give  that  fellow  the  slip,  I 
have  no  doubt." 

"  Come  and  stand  by  me,  Mrs.  Solomons,  and  watch  the 
magnificent  courage  the  little  Tigress  is  showing:  such  a 
sight  would  give  spirit  to  a  mouse !"  exclaimed  Miss  Palmer, 
turning  her  flushed  face  and  flashing  eyes  toward  the  fat 
lady. 

"No;  thank  you,  miss;  I  take  no  interest  in  such  shows. 
I  only  beg  and  pray  that  this  gentleman  will  take  us  away 
from  that  ship  as  fast  as  iver  he  can,"  responded  Mrs. 
Solomons. 

"Here,  sit  down,  Rachel,  sit  down!"  shouted  Solomons. 
"I'll  not  have  the  gentleman  worried  in  the  execootion  of 
his  duty.  Will  one  of  you  please  to  bring  that  cheer — • 
thank  you.  Now,  Rachel,  sit  down  and  make  yourself 
comfortable,  for  God's  thake!" 

The  poor  woman,  convulsing  her  body  in  dumb- show, 
after  the  manner  of  her  nation,  seated  herself.  Solomons 
approached  me  close,  and  with  a  slight  drop  in  his  right 
eye,  as  he  jerked  his  thumb  over  his  shoulder  in  the  direc- 
tion of  his  wife,  whispered : 

"Joking  apart,  thir,  what's  the  danger?" 

"There  is  really  no  joking  that  I  am  aware  of,"  said  I, 
drawing  away  and  answering  in  my  usual  voice,  and  by  no 
means  relishing  the  cunning  air  he  put  into  his  accost,  as 
though  he  were  a  receiver  addressing  a  pickpocket.  "  Yon- 
der are  the  two  vessels,  and  by  looking  at  them  you  will 
know  as  much  as  I  do." 

And  to  escape  him  I  crossed  the  deck. 

The  breeze  was  scarcely  noticeable  as  we  drove  dead 
before  it.     The  smoke  of  the  guns  was  blowing  in  long, 


382         AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

languidly-moving  lines  past  us,  and  the  taste  of  burnt  gun« 
powder  was  strong  in  the  mouth  with  every  breath  we  drew. 
The  Tigress  had  got  to  windward,  or,  in  other  words,  right 
astern  of  the  enemy,  who  was  blazing  away  at  the  little  ves- 
sel with  her  stern-chasers,  and  receiving  in  return  the  whole 
fire  of  the  schooner's  port  and  starboard  broadsides  alter- 
nately. I  was  so  certain  that  the  corvette  could  not  much 
longer  endure  these  fearful  and  repeated  scarifications,  that 
I  lost  the  fear  of  her  overhauling  us  in  speculating  upon  the 
moment  when  she  would  drop  her  pursuit  to  turn  upon  the 
schooner. 

"  She's  being  raked  every  minute,  sir!"  exclaimed  Parell, 
coming  over  to  me.  "  One  'ud  think  such  an  iron  drenching 
was  more  than  flesh  and  blood  could  stand.  And  yet  her 
spars  seem  all  right,  sir." 

"  Forward  they  are ;  Captain  Shelvocke  always  aims  low. 
If  the  corvette  lets  him  rake  her  like  this,  she'll  soon  have 
no  men  to  resist  him.  But  it  can't  last!  why,  good  heavens, 
Parell,  the  Tigress  has  it  all  her  own  way — look  at  her  under 
jib  and  foresail,  porting  and  starboarding  her  helm  as  she 
loads  her  guns — how  fiercely  she  fires!  what  a  burr  for  a 
ship's  skirts!  .   .   .   Hillo!  is  that  for  us?" 

A  puff  of  smoke  leaped  as  I  spoke  from  the  corvette's 
bow,  and  a  spurt  of  white  foam  sparkled  like  a  bar  of 
bright  silver  about  a  hundred  fathoms  astern  of  us. 

"Heavy  metal,  sir!"  grumbled  Parell;  "a  thirty-two- 
pound  ball  that,  sir." 

"There!  I  knew  it  could  not  last! — goaded  at  last  into 
it,  are  you,  you  villain?"  I  shouted,  as  the  corvette  took  in 
her  studding-sails,  and  slowly  swept  round,  bracing  her 
yards  sharp  up  as  she  hauled  her  wind,  while  she  dis- 
charged her  weather  broadside  at  the  schooner,  who  with 
splendid  alertness  had  covered  her  spars  with  canvas  and 
was  creeping  dead  away  to  windward,  peppering  the 
corvette  as  she  went  with  balls  from  her  stern  gun.  "  Was 
there  ever  a  finer  fellow  than  Shelvocke?"  I  cried,  in  a 
transport  of  admiration.  "  Look !  he  brings  the  enemy  af- 
ter him  as  though  he  had  her  tow-rope  aboard." 

And  assuredly  the  courage,  the  agility,  the  dashing  and 
audacious  seamanship  that  had  been  shown  by  the  Tigress 
in  this  brief  but  decisive  bit  of  work  would  have  kindled 


JONATHAN  AGAIN.  383 

enthusiasm  in  a  heart  of  stone.  But  these  qualities  were 
immeasurably  deepened  to  us  witnesses  of  Shelvocke's  eon- 
duct  by  the  heaviness  of  the  stake  that  depended  upon  the 
issue  of  it.  Had  the  enemy  been  suffered  to  approach  us 
within  range,  one  broadside  would  in  all  probability  have 
crippled  us,  and  left  us  at  her  mercy ;  instead,  there  was 
the  corvette  stretching  away  from  us  in  pursuit  of  the 
schooner,  whose  beels  gave  her  about  as  much  chance  as 
Mrs.  Solomons  would  have  had  in  a  race  with  a  boy. 

"  One  'ud  need  read  a  good  bit  of  history  to  come  across 
anything  neater  than  that,  sir,  exclaimed  Parell,  biting  out 
another  piece  of  tobacco  to  replace  the  quid  he  had  masti- 
cated and  probably  swallowed.  "She  is  a  Yankee,  sir; 
you  can  see  her  flag  now,"  he  continued,  handing  me  the 
glass,  "  and  you  may  likewise  obsarve  that  she's  lost  her 
mizzen-topgallant  mast." 

Yes ;  the  stripes  and  stars  hidden  from  us  while  she  had 
been  running  could  now  be  seen  streaming  from  the  mizzen- 
peak  as  the  corvette  stretched  her  long,  low,  black  hull 
broadside  on  to  us,  leaning  under  the  volume  of  sail  she 
carried,  with  men  swarming  like  bees  upon  her  mizzen-rig- 
ging  and  a  sharp  throbbing  and  quivering  of  foam  along 
her  side. 

"  There  goes  the  enemy,  Mr.  Solomons, "  said,  I  crossing 
the  deck  and  addressing  the  old  man  as  he  stood  staring 
with  knitted  brows  at  the  vessels.  "  You  may  very  safely 
return  to  your  bed  now,  sir,  and  continue  nursing  your  cold." 

"Thank  ye,  I  think  a  cigar  on  deck' 11  do  me  more  good, 
mister,"  answered  the  old  fellow,  slapping  his  vest-pockets 
in  search  of  a  cheroot ;  and  then  taking  a  look  at  the  com- 
pass, he  bawled  out,  "  I  say !  where  are  you  taking  us, 
mister? — this  here's  the  road  to  Europe,  do  you  know?" 
and  as  he  stood  pointing  at  the  compass  he  sloped  his  back 
in  such  a  way  that  the  sleeve  of  his  coat  was  drawn  up  his 
arm,  and  his  hand  and  wrist  forked  out  like  a  skeleton's. 

"  I  am  very  well  aware  of  it, "  said  I,  in  a  voice  that 
stopped  him  from  asking  any  further  questions.  He  joined 
his  wife,  and  they  sat  talking  together  and  gesticulating. 

I  stood  near  Miss  Palmer,  watching  the  lessening  ves- 
sels, whose  increasing  distance  was  denoted  both  to  the  eye 
and  the  ear  by  their  dwindling  shapes  and  by  the  lengthen- 


384         AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

ing  intervals  between  the  flashes  of  the  guns  and  the  sound 
of  the  detonations.  They  glided  along  the  water  that  ran 
up  to  the  beautiful  clear  and  blue  horizon  like  a  large  and 
small  cloud  sailing  across  the  sky,  the  schooner  keeping 
well  ahead  of  the  corvette  so  as  to  enable  her  to  use  only 
her  bow-guns,  and  keeping  her  station  with  the  utmost  ease 
under  her  mainsail,  staysail,  and  jibs. 

"I  was  very  much  afraid,  Mr.  Madison,"  said  Miss  Pal- 
mer, in  a  low  voice,  "  that  you  were  going  to  reproach  me 
for  having  spoken  well  of  Mr  .Solomons.  His  remark  just 
now  was  certainly  very  offensive.  But  you  are  too  kind  to 
make  him  a  topic  of  conversation — at  all  events  for  the 
present. " 

"  I  wish  they  would  both  take  to  their  beds  and  stop 
there  until  we  arrived  at  Kingston,"  said  I. 

"Pray  talk  of  the  schooner,  not  of  Mr.  Solomons!"  she 
urged  in  a  half-laughing  manner,  though  the  flush  and 
sparkle  which  the  watching  of  the  vessels  had  kindled  in 
her  cheeks  and  eyes  still  lingered,  and  made  her  look  so 
beautiful  that  it  needed  all  the  forces  of  my  good  taste  or 
good  sense  to  prevent  me  from  staring  her  out  of  counte- 
nance. "  How  wonderfully  Captain  Shelvocke  has  drawn 
the  ship  away  from  us!  Mr.  Madison,  the  very  first  per- 
son you  must  introduce  me  to  at  Kingston,  should  fortune 
permit  us  all  to  meet  there,  is  your  captain.  I  should  like 
to  tell  him  with  my  own  lips  what  I  have  thought  of  his 
conduct,  his  skill,  his  admirable  conduct  this  day." 

Hallo,  my  boy!  whence  this  palpitation,  you  fool?  does 
the  lovely  girl's  praise  of  a  brother  sailor  set  your  heart 
bounding  with  professional  enthusiasm? 

"  Why,  Miss  Palmer,  as  you  say,  the  Tigress  has  been 
admirably  handled  no  doubt,  and  it  is  quite  natural  that 
you  should  give  all  the  praise  to  her  commander,  although 
his  judgment  would  not  have  been  of  much  use  had  he  not 
had  a  number  of  brave  seamen  under  him  to  execute  his 
orders  without  a  single  thought  of  the  perilous  game  their 
skipper  was  playing.  He  will,  I  am  sure,  be  immensely 
gratified  by  your  praise,  and  I  heartily  hope  I  may  have  an 
opportunity  of  introducing  him  to  you." 

This  was  not  my  usual  style,  nor  my  usual  voice  either. 
She  bent  her  clear  searching  eyes  on  my  face,  and  a  smile 


JONATHAN  AGAIN.  385 

twinkled  through  them  like  a  sunbeam  sailing  betwixt  two 
clouds  over  a  space  of  water.  I  suppose  the  conscience 
that  makes  cowards  of  us  all  caused  me  to  color  up  under 
her  quick,  penetrating  glance.  She  was  merciful  enough 
to  take  no  further  notice  of  my  speech,  in  which  I  assuredly 
did  my  heart  a  wrong,  for  I  protest  no  living  being  could 
have  had  a  warmer  admiration  for  Shelvocke  than  I,  nor 
could  have  taken  a  more  critical  delight  in  the  genius  with 
which  he  had  pestered  and  goaded  into  courting  him  the 
ugly  baste  whose  horns,  but  for  him,  would  by  this  time 
have  been  goring  the  Namur.  But  Lord!  what  a  poor  and 
twopenny  affair  the  human  heart  must  be  after  all,  when  a 
pretty  woman's  praising  a  man  will  fill  his  friend's  mouth 
with  pooh-poohs,  meanly  intended  to  qualify  the  acquies- 
cence he  is  too  cowardly  and  yet  too  honest  to  withhold! 

My  thoughts  went  in  this  strain  as  Miss  Palmer  and  I 
stood  looking  across  the  sea,  until  at  last  I  did  feel  so  im- 
patient with  myself  for  my  self-misrepresentation,  and  was 
so  worried  by  the  subacid  significance  taken  by  my  words 
through  Miss  Palmer's  silence,  that  I  could  stand  it  no 
longer. 

"That  was  a  mean  speech  of  mine,"  said  I,  "and  not 
true  in  spirit.  What  on  earth  could  have  made  me  want 
to  shake  half  the  leaves  out  of  your  wreath  for  Shelvocke 
when  only  just  now  I  was  shouting  my  applause  of  him, 
and  when  I  knew  him  to  be  as  intrepid  and  fine  a  seaman 
as  ever  swung  along  a  ship's  deck?" 

And  as  I  asked  this  question  I  looked  at  her  steadily, 
being  at  this  time,  for  reasons  I  am  unable  to  account  for, 
in  as  verdant  and  unsophisticated  a  humor  as  was  my  uncle 
Toby  when  he  explored  the  lambent  and  delicious  fires  of 
Mrs.  Wadman's  eye  for  the  bit  of  green  that  never  yet 
lurked  in  the  deflowered  optic  of  a  widow. 

"  By  proceeding  just  as  we  now  steer,  what  part  of  the 
earth  should  we  now  come  to,  Mr.  Madison?"  she  inquired 
artlessly,  sidling  to  the  compass,  and  looking  at  it  stead- 
fastly. 

Well,  if  I  was  stupid  enough  not  to  know  the  cause,  it 
was  not  her  business  to  hunt  about  for  it. 

"  I  will  repeat  my  question  another  day,  as  they  say  in 
the  House  of  Commons,"  said  I,  smiling  at  the  sweet,  grave 
25 


386         AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

face  she  bent  over  the  binnacle.  "  And  now,  Miss  Palmer, 
let  me  conduct  you  to  a  seat  in  the  shadow  of  the  mast  yon- 
der, out  of  reach  of  the  sun,  where  I  shall  be  happy  to 
answer  every  inquiry  you  wish  to  make  touching  the  navi- 
gation of  the  Namur." 

She  put  her  fingers  under  my  arm,  and  walked  a  few 
paces,  but  stopped  to  look  back  at  the  vessels. 

"They  will  soon  be  out  of  sight,"  said  she.  "Already 
the  schooner  resembles  the  white  wing  of  a  seagull,  with 
just  the  graceful  curve  of  that  bird's  pinion  when  it  sweeps 
suddenly  around  against  the  wind." 

"  I  cannot  help  fancying,  Miss  Palmer,  that  you  are 
fonder  of  the  sea  than  you  have  yet  deigned  to  admit." 

"Deigned  to  admit!  pray  speak  naturally;  half  the 
charm  of  sailors  lies  in  the  sincerity  of  their  conversation," 
said  she. 

"I  am  glad  you  hear  me  so  plainly,"  said  I,  piqued  by 
her  manner,  and  yet  not  displeased  by  it  either.     "When 
I  asked  you  a  question,  a  short  time  ago,  you  did  not  an 
swer  me,  by  which  I  was  afraid  that  the  cannonading  yon- 
der might  have  slightly  affected  the  organ  of  hearing." 

"Ah,  you  are  very  plain  now — almost  rude,  indeed," 
said  she,  laughing  under  her  breath,  as  though  she  rather 
enjoyed  teasing  me.  "  I  did  hear  your  question ;  but — 
unlike  most  women — when  I  have  nothing  to  say  I  hold  my 
tongue.  As  to  being  fond  of  the  sea — I  am  very  fond  of  it; 
not  with  a  young  lady's  fondness,  which  you  know,  means 
reading  and  writing  verses  about  the  bounding,  the  melan- 
choly, the  raging  main,  in  her  bedroom,  and  screaming 
when  on  the  water  if  the  vessel  rolls.  I  like  the  sea  be- 
cause when  on  it  I  am  happ}r,  and  whatever  makes  me 
happy  I  love." 

How  richly  and  sweetly  this  last  sentence  rolled  out  of 
her  mouth! — "  Whatever  makes  vie  happy  1  love.'1'' 

"Now,  I  wonder  if  you  are  a  coquette?"  thought  I. 
And,  as  if  she  divined  my  thoughts,  she  cast  up  her  soft, 
luminous,  spiritual,  gentle,  maidenly  eyes,  as  though  she 
would  say,  "  Look  here — look  as  deep  as  the  short  scope  of 
your  optical  lead-line  will  let  you  sound  these  gray  calm 
depths,  and  judge  for  yourself,  master!" 

I  placed  a  chair  for  her,  and  left  her  comfortably  seated 


JONATHAN  AGAIN.  387 

in  the  shadow  of  the  mizzenraast  and  where  the  deck  was 
cooled  by  the  breeze  that  buzzed  like  a  thousand  bees  among 
the  folds  of  the  crossjack  which  hung  in  festoons  from  the 
yard,  and  went  aft  to  watch  the  corvette.  But  I  had  not 
been  looking  three  minutes,  when  the  sound  of  a  voice 
humming  a  tune  made  me  turn  my  head,  and  there  was 
Miss  Palmer  close  behind  me. 

"I  want  to  see  the  last  of  the  brave  little  Tigress,"  said 
she;  "and  will  you  tell  me  if  there  is  the  smallest  prob- 
ability of  the  American  ship  catching  her?" 

By  way  of  answer,  I  poised  the  glass  on  my  shoulder  and 
bade  her  look  at  the  schooner. 

"  Only  her  sails  are  visible, "  said  she. 

I  shifted  the  glass,  and  asked  if  she  saw  the  American. 

"Yes,  quite  distinctly." 

"  You  can  judge  of  the  distance  between  the  two  vessels?" 

"lean." 

I  told  her  to  take  notice  that  the  schooner  had  only  half 
as  much  sail  set  as  it  was  in  her  power  to  carry,  and  that 
her  being  able  to  hold  her  distance  from  the  American 
under  such  conditions  proved  that  were  the  whole  of  her 
canvas  to  be  exposed  she  would  be  out  of  sight  of  her  pur- 
suer in  four  hours. 

"  And  why  does  not  Captain  Shelvocke  run  out  of  sight?" 
she  wanted  to  know,  continuing  to  peer  through  the  glass, 
and  to  maintain  a  posture  I  was  very  willing  and  indeed 
decidedly  happy  to  endure  in  her  so  long  as  she  chose  to 
preserve  it. 

I  replied  that  if  the  Tigress  ran  away,  the  American 
would  immediately  pay  off  in  chase  of  us  again. 

"Shelvocke's  object,"  said  I,  "is  to  put  the  widest  dis- 
tance he  can  make  the  Yankee  sail  over,  between  us  and 
the  enemy.  Jonathan's  quandary  is  this:  he  can't  capture 
the  Tigress  because  he  can't  catch  her,  and  he  can't  pursue 
us  because  the  Tigress  won't  let  him." 

"  And  how  will  it  end  as  regards  the  schooner?"  said  she, 
with  her  eye  at  the  glass,  and  her  face,  in  consequence,  so 
close  to  the  hinder  part  of  my  shoulder  that  once  or  twice 
the  fore  part  of  her  straw  hat  tickled  the  back  of  my  neck. 

"  Why,  Jonathan  will  follow  Shelvocke  as  long  as  he 
remains  in  sight, "  I  replied,  "  putting  his  hopes,  as  all  men 


388  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

must  who  chase  a  vessel,  in  a  slant  of  luck.  But  blow 
high  or  blow  low,  the  ship  that  can  overhaul  the  Tigress  is 
not  to  be  seen  within  the  circumference  of  this  horizon,  and 
I  shall  be  very  much  astonished  if  the  first  person  who 
boards  the  Namnr  on  her  arrival  at  Kingston  be  not  Massa 
Shelvocke." 

She  lifted  the  glass  from  my  shoulder,  and  while  she 
slowly  closed  the  tubes,  she  said : 

"  And  now  may  I  ask,  Mr.  Madison,  what  you  mean  to 
do?" 

"  Certainly  you  may.  I  shall  steer  as  we  go  until  noon" 
- — I  pulled  out  my  watch  and  observed  that  it  wanted  twenty 
five  minutes  to  eleven — "  by  which  hour  the  corvette,  unless 
she  alters  her  course,  will  be  some  miles  away  behind  the 
sea.  I  shall  then  order  the  men  to  trim  sail,  the  helm  will 
be  shifted,  and  the  good  ship  Namur  headed  as  the  wind 
will  best  let  her  go  for  Jamaica." 

"Thank  you  for  your  answers,"  said  she,  giving  me  the 
glass.  "  You  have  made  my  mind  so  easy  that  the  very 
least  I  can  do  is  to  unreservedly  forgive  you  for  pretending 
to  believe  that  my  hearing  had  been  affected." 

She  dropped  me  a  low  courtesy,  wonderfully  graceful, 
indeed,  and  so  playful  that  the  fellow  who  was  steering 
turned  his  head  to  hide  a  grin.  I  acknowledged  the  salute 
with  a  regular  ballroom  flourish  of  the  leg  to  let  those  it 
concerned  know  that  I  could  bow  as  well  as  she;  then  she 
tripped  on  her  noiseless  little  feet  over  to  the  Solomonses, 
flinging,  as  she  went,  a  backward  glance  at  me  that  said, 
"  I  am  going  to  comfort  these  poor  creatures, "  and  forth- 
with repeated  to  them  what  I  had  said  to  her,  for  which  I 
was  exceedingly  obliged,  as  she  saved  me  a  deal  of  trouble 
by  doing  so. 

I  stood  watching  the  two  vessels,  not  without  anxiety, 
and  saw  the  topmost  point  of  the  schooner's  canvas  vanish 
like  a  tiny  wreath  of  steam.  Although  the  corvette's  hull 
had  sunk  and  half  her  courses  were  invisible,  I  observed  by 
means  of  the  glass  that  she  continued  to  fire  at  the  chase, 
for  every  now  and  again  a  shadow  like  that  of  a  cloud  pass- 
ing over  some  distant  point  blew  athwart  of  and  temporar- 
ily obscured  her,  but  as  it  went  clear  it  became  white,  and 
large,  and  quivering,  and  hung  like  a  burst  of  vapor  from 


JONATHAN  AGAIN.  389 

a  steam  boiler  upon  the  sea,  that  was  as  blue  as  the  sky 
out  there.  Bit  by  bit  the  gleaming  and  tapering  height  of 
canvas  sunk  lower  and  lower,  until  at  last  nothing  but  a 
fluctuating  brilliant  shred,  hove  slightly  above  the  water- 
line  by  refraction,  could  be  seen  trembling  like  a  sparkling 
dew-drop;  it  disappeared,  and  the  whole  bright  circle  of 
the  horizon  was  a  blaLl . 


OHAPTEK  XYlr, 

FIRE ! 

While  the  schooner  was  in  sight  my  mind,  so  to  speak, 
had  something  to  hold  on  by,  and  the  sense  of  loneliness 
was  not  so  sharply  brought  home  to  me;  but  when  at  mid- 
day (the  two  vessels  having  then  been  out  of  sight  from  our 
main-royal  yard  for  over  an  hour)  I  ordered  the  studding- 
sails  to  be  hauled  down  and  the  ship  to  be  brought  close  to 
the  wind,  the  responsibility  of  my  position  weighed  heavily 
upon  me.  Here  was  I  launched  in  charge  of  a  large  and 
apparently  a  richly  freighted  ship  upon  a  sea  that  was  in- 
fested with  picaroons,  Jamaica  distant  a  good  ten  days'  sail 
under  favorable  circumstances,  and  with  only  fifteen  men 
and  a  boatswain's  mate  to  work  the  vessel  and  to  resist  any 
attack  that  might  be  made  upon  us. 

And  yet  Shelvocke  was  not  to  blame  for  the  situation  in 
which  he  had  placed  or  left  me.  I  did  not  know  what  his 
loss  had  been  in  killed  and  wounded  through  the  engage- 
ment with  the  prize-crew  of  the  Namur,  but  I  easily  guessed 
it  so  severe  as  to  prohibit  him  from  weakening  the  avail- 
able force  of  his  men  by  a  larger  draft  than  the  sixteen 
seamen  whom  he  had  placed  under  my  command.  That  no 
one  was  to  blame,  however,  and  that  what  had  happened 
could  not  be  helped,  did  not  improve  my  case.  I  could 
only  trust  to  chance,  and  live  in  the  hope  of  being  lucky 
enough  to  carry  the  Namur  to  Kingston  without  mis- 
adventure. 

Although  the  breeze  that  was  blowing  was  strong  enough 
to  have  driven  the  schooner  eight  or  nine  knots  an  hour, 
this  lumbering  West  Indiaman  was  barely  doing  four.  In- 
deed, she  was  the  slowest  sailer  I  had  ever  dealt  with ;  a 
regular  sugar-box,  built  for  carrying,  with  bows  as  round 
as  the  back  view  of  a  Dutchman,  and  of  a  most  massive 


FIRE !  391 

scantling.  She  was  about  six  hundred  tons  burden,  but 
her  immense  beam  made  her  look  two  hundred  tons  bigger 
than  that;  and  being  very  heavily  rigged,  with  immensely 
thick  lower  masts  and  shrouds,  which  appeared  to  have 
been  shifted  into  her  from  a  line-of -battle  ship,  she  would 
have  passed  very  well,  viewed  lengthwise,  for  a  man-of- 
war,  though  her  stern  was  a  strong  indication  of  her  true 
character.  Her  weight  and  stubbornness  made  my  lookout 
about  four  times  as  formidable  as  it  would  have  been  had 
she  been  a  fast  boat,  and  rigged  with  greater  regard  to  the 
laws  of  proportion.  Her  yards  swung  heavily,  her  run- 
ning-gear "hung,"  she  was  as  hard  to  steer  as  a  raft;  and 
when  I  looked  over  her  stern  and  observed  her  broad  oily 
wake  stretching  away  toward  her  weather-quarter,  I  easily 
guessed,  as  any  sailor  will  suppose,  what  her  quality  of 
weathering  would  prove  in  a  gale  of  wind. 

However,  it  was  my  duty  to  put  a  good  face  on  the  mat- 
ter, as  much  for  the  sake  of  the  men,  whom  the  least  air  of 
misgiving  in  me  would  speedily  dishearten,  as  for  the  pas- 
sengers who  had  intrusted  themselves  to  my  keeping.  I 
left  Parell  on  deck,  and  employed  myself  for  some  time  in 
overhauling  the  chart  and  working  out  the  observations  I 
had  taken  at  noon,  and  then  lay  down  on  my  bunk  and  en- 
deavored to  snatch  an  hour's  rest  before  dinner;  but  I  was 
to  anxious  too  sleep,  and  so  to  kill  the  time  I  took  a  book 
— I  well  remember  it  was  a  copy  of  the  Edinburgh  Review 
— and  tried  to  get  interested.  But  it  would  not  do.  All 
the  time  I  was  thinking  of  our  defenceless  condition  in  case 
of  an  attack,  and  asking  myself  if  I  had  done  my  duty  to 
Miss  Palmer  to  suffer  her  to  remain  in  the  Namur  after 
Shelvocke  had  ranged  alongside  to  report  a  strange  sail  in 
sight;  and  I  recalled — not  willingly,  by  any  means;  the 
abominable  memories  would  intrude  themselves — various 
stories  I  had  heard  of  the  barbarities  practised  by  the 
pirates  and  privateersmen,  toward  whose  haunts  we  were 
hourly  drawing  near,  upon  the  women  who  fell  into  their 
hands. 

In  short,  I  suffered  my  fancies  to  make  me  very  nearly 
as  miserable  as  the  calamities  I  lay  speculating  upon  would 
themselves  have  done.  But  it  is  sometimes  possible  for  a 
man  to  go  on  thinking  until  he  thinks  himself  clear  of  dis- 


392  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

turbing  thoughts.  I  lay  reasoning  so  morbidly,  that  at  last 
my  common  sense  found  imagination  insupportable,  and  I 
sprang  out  of  my  bunk  damning  myself  for  a  fool  as  heart- 
ily as  Jonathan  Wild  did  his  Tishy  for  being  something  else. 

"Is  dinner  ready,  Ransom?"  I  sung  out  as  I  entered  the 
cabin. 

He  answered  that  he  was  waiting  for  my  orders  to  fetch 
it  from  the  galley ;  and  in  a  few  minutes  it  was  smoking  on 
the  table,  and  the  passengers  and  myself  seated  round  it. 

"Once  more  assembled,  Mrs.  Solomons,"  said  I,  rather 
boisterously,  as  men  sometimes  will  be  who  determine  to 
be  jolly  in  spite  of  themselves ;  "  a  most  united  and — shall 
I  say,  Miss  Palmer — a  most  picturesque  family?  A  smooth 
sea  around  us,  fine  weather  over  us,  and  a  stput  ship  under 
us!" 

"A  very  stout  ship  indeed!"  growled  Solomons;  "I  wish 
she  was  a  little  thinner — maybe  she'd  sail  quicker." 

"  You  must  find  sailoring  a  very  risky  business,  mister?" 
said  Mrs.  Solomons,  trying  to  catch  sight  of  her  plate  by 
peering  over  her  bosom — and  failing.  "There's  always 
something  dangerous  happening  at  sea;  isn't  there?  Either 
it's  a  leak,  or  it's  wind,  or  lightning,  or  else  it's  a  ship 
a-chasing  of  one.  If  I  had  a  son,  he'd  never  go  to  sea 
with  my  leave." 

"Thank  you!"  interrupted  Jonas;  "a  son  of  mine  go  to 
sea!  he'd  wait  upon  yer." 

"For  when  all's  said  and  done,"  continued  Mrs.  Solo- 
mons, "there's  little  enough  money  to  be  aimed  at  it,  they 
say." 

"All  very  true,  Mrs.  Solomons,"  said  I,  "give  me  a  good 
business  ashore,  I'd  soon  quit  the  sea." 

"Did  you  ever  hear  of  a  thoroughbred  sailor  settling 
down  to  business,  Mr.  Madison?"  asked  Miss  Palmer  de- 
murely. "  Sailors  abuse  the  sea  heartily  enough,  I  know, 
when  at  sea;  but  once  put  them  on  shore,  and,  like  geese, 
they  immediately  waddle  to  the  water." 

"Pray  say  ducks,"  said  I.  "Ducks,  as  a  word,  is  very 
much  prettier  than  geese,  and,  when  applied  to  sailors, 
truer. " 

"What  is  your  opinion  of  the  sea,  Mr.  Solomons?"  she 
inquired,  evading  my  point. 


FIRE !  393 

"My  opinion,  miss?"  answered  the  old  man  slowly.  "If 
I  was  Prime  Minister  of  England,  I'd  do  away  with  jails 
and  make  all  felons  thailors" — you  have  already  noticed 
that  our  friend  sometimes  lisped.  "  That  would  give  the 
country  plenty  of  seamen,  and  save  the  pockets  of  the 
taxpayers." 

"A  neat  compliment  to  the  profession  that  has  hoisted 
our  little  island  at  the  world's  masthead!"  I  remarked. 

Miss  Palmer  changed  the  topic  by  asking  Mr.  Solomons 
questions  about  the  West  Indies.  Perhaps  she  knew  that 
this  was  one  of  the  subjects  upon  which  the  old  man  could 
talk  well;  and  I  suppose  she  had  a  personal  interest  in  the 
exhibition  of  his  best  paces  after  having  spoken  up  for  him 
and  his  wife.  He  had  lived  in  Jamaica  thirty  years,  and 
might  therefore  be  supposed  to  know  the  country  pretty 
intimately.  He  spoke  with  great  intelligence,  told  two  or 
three  stories  which  really  had  fine  humorous  points  in 
them,  and  gave  me  the  impression,  in  spite  of  his  lisping 
and  his  h's,  that  he  could  talk  like  a  man  of  education  if 
he  pleased,  and  that  he  deliberately  chose  to  be  vulgar, 
either  to  keep  his  wife  in  countenance  or  that  he  might  not 
forge  ahead  of  the  sympathies  of  his  own  sect. 

There  is  always  something  interesting  to  me  in  an  old 
man  of  this  kind  who,  cunning  as  he  may  be,  makes  you 
see  he  is  infinitely  shrewder  than  he  wants  you  to  believe — 
whose  eyes  steal  up  and  down  from  the  table  to  your  face, 
and  whose  conversation  is  picturesque  with  grammatical 
lapses,  keen  observation,  misplaced  h's,  and  the  illumina- 
tion— the  lumen  siccus — of  a  mass  of  various, "out-of-the- 
way,  curious  reading.  He  had  much  to  say  about  slavery 
and  the  prospects  of  Jamaica,  and  although  I  had  not  the 
least  interest  in  the  subject,  he  kept  me  listening  with 
steady  attention. 

I  caught  Miss  Palmer  watching  me  with  a  teasing  ex- 
pression in  her  eyes.  "I'll  make  a  large-minded  man  of 
you  yet!"  she  seemed  to  say  with  those  bright  and  eloquent 
telegraphs.  "  You  are  beginning  to  lose  your  prejudice 
against  this  harmless  old  creature,  are  you?"  A  woman's 
heart  is  shown  in  the  victories  she  likes  to  win.  Miss 
Madeline  took  as  much  pleasure  in  watching  the  favorable 
impression  old  Jonas  was  making  on  me  as  any  Mrs.  Can- 


394  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

dour  would  have  taken  in  attending  the  funeral  of  a  repu- 
tation. 

The  afternoon  wore  away;  at  six  o'clock  the  breeze  failed 
us,  and  the  sea  lay  heaving  like  a  surface  of  molten  glass. 
A  thin  haze  gathered  round  the  horizon  like  the  mist  that 
rises  from  the  earth  on  hot  summer  mornings,  and  the  re- 
flection of  the  burning  sun  was  as  dark  as  Indian  gold  in 
the  spacious  and  polished  folds  of  the  water.  Though  it 
wanted  but  two  hours  to  sunset,  the  heat  had  at  no  other 
period  of  the  day  been  greater  than  now.  A  steam  arose 
from  the  decks,  through  which  the  lower  masts  quivered 
like  the  reflection  of  a  tree  in  a  running  stream :  the  smell 
of  blistered  paint  and  melting  pitch  made  the  stagnant  air 
sickly  with  the  taste  of  it;  I  placed  my  hand  by  accident 
on  the  brass  hood  of  the  binnacle,  and  drew  it  away  with 
an  exclamation — it  was  like  touching  the  top  of  an  oven. 
The  languor  of  the  heat  crept  into  one's  very  marrow.  The 
men  lolled  about  the  decks  with  their  shirts  open,  feebly 
moving  when  called,  and  pulling  off  their  caps,  and  shak- 
ing their  heads,  to  rid  themselves  of  the  perspiration  that 
fell  in  showers  from  their  hair  and  foreheads. 

I  had  caused  an  awning  to  be  spread  over  the  quarter- 
deck, and  under  it  lay  Mr.  Solomons  in  his  shirt-sleeves, 
flat  on  his  back  on  the  deck,  with  a  rolled-up  flag  under  his 
head,  and  a  long  cigar  stuck  out  of  his  mouth ;  and  Mrs. 
Solomons  in  an  arm-chair,  with  her  mouth  open,  and  her 
arms  hanging  down  her  lap  (her  lap,  do  I  call  it?),  and 
her  face  as  scarlet  as  a  powder-flag,  nothing  to  show  that 
she  was  alive  but  the  brightening  and  fading  of  her  rose- 
colored  satin  dress  as  her  enormous  shape  swelled  and  sub- 
sided in  it  with  her  respirations;  and  Madeline  Palmer, 
with  her  hat  upon  her  knees,  her  slightly  lifted  dress  ex- 
posing an  exquisitely  shaped  foot,  her  head  lying  back, 
leaving  the  snow  of  her  throat  revealed  from  the  chin  to 
where  the  sparkling  silver  brooch  connected  the  small  white 
collar,  sometimes  languidly  lifting  her  hand  to  stir  the 
threads  of  hair  upon  her  white  forehead  with  a  slow  motion 
of  the  sandalwood  fan,  that  wafted  a  perfume  as  fragrant 
as  jasmine  through  the  air  to  where  I  stood  leaning  against 
the  skylight. 

Happily  the  calm  was  but  of  short  duration.     Shortly 


FIRE !  395 

after  one  bell  the  haze  in  the  northeast  blew  away,  and  a 
light  wind  came  down  along  the  water  like  the  shadow  of  a 
cloud  over  the  silver  surface  of  a  field  of  rye.  The  yards 
were  squared,  the  true  course  made,  and  with  the  light 
canvas  swelling  and  her  courses  softly  lifting,  the  Namur 
was  again  pushing  through  the  calm  sea,  with  her  stem  in 
a  line  with  the  broad,  deep-colored  gold  band  of  sunshine 
that  streamed  from  the  horizon  down,  as  it  seemed  to  the 
eye,  to  within  a  pistol-shot  of  the  ship's  bows. 

The  breeze  was  as  good  as  a  cordial ;  every  faculty  was 
refreshed  by  the  cool  blowing,  the  bubbly  tinkling  of  the 
passing  water,  the  diamond-like  quivering  of  the  whole  sea. 

"  If  you  want  to  see  a  noble  sight,  look  yonder,  Miss 
Palmer,"  said  I,  standing  beside  her,  and  pointing  toward 
the  sun.     "But  you  must  make  haste." 

She  instantly  rose,  and  stood  looking  with  me  at  the  orb, 
whose  lower  limb  rested  upon  the  water-line  like  a  wheel. 
There  was  not  a  fleck  of  cloud  to  tarnish  it ;  the  sky  resem- 
bled a  wall  of  resplendent  brass,  and  the  sun,  by  the  un- 
usually powerful  refractive  character  of  the  atmosphere, 
was  swollen  into  gigantic  proportions.  I  never  saw  the 
like  of  it  before;  it  was  startling  to  behold;  the  men  stood 
in  a  group  watching  it,  looking  aft  from  time  to  time  hur- 
riedly, as  though  to  mark  the  effect  of  this  unusual  appear- 
ance upon  me. 

"See,  Miss  Palmer!"  I  exclaimed:  "the  blazing  circle 
compasses  the  whole  bow  of  the  ship !  Look  how  the  mag- 
nificent circumference  arches  from  one  rail  to  the  other  on 
either  side  the  bowsprit  like  the  glory  around  the  head  of  a 
saint.  One  would  suppose  that  some  star  was  on  fire,  and 
was  falling  close  past  the  earth !  Did  any  one  ever  see  the 
sun  so  big  before!  How  clean  the  circle  is!  not  a  single 
ray  shoots  from  it— do  you  notice?  And  observe  the  color 
of  the  sea— one  should  be  able  to  dip  up  gold  enough  to 
purchase  a  kingdom." 

"No  wonder  it's  so  hot,  with  such  a  sun  as  that  to  burn 
one  up!"  cried  Mrs.  Solomons  from  her  chair. 

"Confound  her!"  I  muttered.  "Her  voice  destroys  the 
charm,  like  a  cry  of  oranges  in  a  tragedy." 

"One  never  sees  a  sunset  like  that  in  England,"  said 
Miss  Palmer,  almost  in  a  whisper,  so  subdued  was  she  by 


396  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

the  sublimity  of  the  spectacle.  "How  the  golden  splendor 
runs  up  out  of  the  sea  as  the  sun  sinks!" 

The  last  glowing  fragment  throbbed  and  vanished !  she 
turned  her  eyes  to  the  east,  and  looking  up  with  her  face 
like  alabaster  in  the  brief  pause  of  twilight,  pointed  toward 
the  sky. 

"Do  you  remember  the  sweet  old  hymn?"  she  said: 

"'  Soon  as  the  evening  shades  prevail, 
The  moon  takes  up  the  wondrous  tale. ' " 

And  there  was  the  new  moon  like  a  thread  of  silver  in 
the  light  blue  sky  over  the  mizzen  topsail  yardarm. 

"I  have  wished,"  saidT:  "have  you?" 

"That  our  voyage  may  be  speedy  and  safe,  is  my  wish," 
she  replied. 

"Amen  to  that  for  your  sake,"  said  I. 

At  eight  o'clock  my  watch  came  around.  I  was  not  sorry 
that  it  should  be  so,  as  I  had  not  only  no  inclination  for  sleep, 
but  had  no  fancy  for  the  sultry  atmosphere  of  the  cabin. 

I  was  in  anything  but  a  cheerful  mood.  Something  of 
the  despondency  that  had  bothered  me  during  the  morning 
had  again  visited  me ;  my  nerves  were  irritable ;  I  was  rest- 
less, journeying  here  and  there  about  the  deck,  staring  into 
the  starlit  distances,  and  vexed  by  the  droning  of  old  Solo- 
mons' voice  as  he  sat  reading  to  his  wife  by  the  light  of  a 
little  silver  hand-lamp. 

I  attributed  my  mood,  which  was  certainly  an  unusual 
one,  to  the  blow  I  had  received  on  the  top  of  my  head,  and 
to  the  weakness  caused  by  the  effusion  of  blood ;  neither  of 
which  things  was  calculated  to  rout  out  any  remains  which 
yet  lingered  of  the  long  illness  that  had  prostrated  me  before 
joining  the  Tigress.  But  this  by  the  way,  though  I  like  to 
bear  it  in  mind,  as  the  confession  of  the  temper  that  then 
possessed  me  does  not  quite  give  me  the  figure  that  the  hero 
of  a  story  should  make. 

Miss  Palmer,  who  had  been  chatting  with  the  Solomonses 
since  supper,  that  was  served  at  half-past  seven,  drew  away 
when  old  Jonas  began  to  read,  and  carried  her  chair  right 
aft,  where  she  sat  leaning  with  her  arms  on  the  grating 
abaft  the  wheel.  I  imagined,  by  her  turning  her  back  on 
the  deck,  and  by  her  thoughtful  pose,  that  she  wished  to  be 


FIRE !  397 

alone,  so  I  did  not  go  near  her — though  perhaps  not  more 
for  this  reason  than  because  of  my  own  peevish  indisposi- 
tion to  talk. 

Presently  I  sung  out:  "Forward,  there!  who  is  that  on 
the  lookout?" 

"  Saunders,  sir,"  came  back  the  answer. 

"Is  Anderson  there?" 

"  Yes,  sir,"  replied  the  man  himself. 

"  Take  this  glass,  Anderson,  and  jump  aloft  and  let  me 
know  if  there  is  anything  in  sight." 

I  followed  his  dark  figure  as  he  ascended  the  shrouds. 
He  was  remarkable  for  having  the  keenest  eyes  of  any  man 
aboard  the  Tigress,  and  had  been  Shelvocke's  favorite 
lookout. 

Miss  Palmer  turned  her  chair  round  when  I  ordered  the 
man  aloft,  and  Solomons  stopped  his  reading  to  listen. 
After  a  while  the  man  hailed  the  deck;  the  sound  of  his 
voice  floated  down  through  the  darkness,  and  he  seemed 
half  a  mile  high  in  the  air. 

"There's  nothing  in  sight,  sir." 

"All  right,  my  lad;  that  will  do.     You  can  lay  down." 

Solomons  resumed  his  reading — mum,  mum,  mum.  I 
went  to  the  side  to  judge  the  speed  of  the  ship  by  the  pas- 
sage of  the  bubbles  which  winked  in  the  starlight  as  they 
slid  along.  Heaven  knows  it  was  slow  enough,  although 
there  was  sufficient  weight  in  the  breeze  to  tauten  the  stay- 
sail sheets. 

"  What  makes  you  so  restless,  Mr.  Madison?"  said  Miss 
Palmer. 

Her  lips  seemed  at  my  very  ear,  so  clear  and  bell-like 
was  her  articulation. 

"  Upon  my  word,  Miss  Palmer,  you  have  a  famous  knack 
of  taking  me  unawares.  Do  you  carry  a  pair  of  invisible 
wings,  or  have  you  the  spirit-like  quality  of  treading  the 
viewless  winds  that  you  make  no  sound  when  you  walk? 
Small  wonder,  with  such  a  marvellously  delicate  tread,  that 
you  are  one  of  the  finest  dancers  mortal  man  ever  had  the 
honor  of  leading  out.  I  can  speak  from  experience,  you 
know — of  your  dancing,  at  all  events!" 

"  I  like  your  compliments  very  much,"  said  she;  "but  I 
should  prefer  to  have  my  question  answered. 


398         AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

"  Unlike  most  men,  Miss  Palmer,  when  T  have  nothing 
to  say  I  hold  my  tongue,"  I  answered,  quoting  her. 

She  laughed,  remembering  her  phrase ;  but  immediately 
afterward  said,  very  gravely,  "  Have  you  any  cause  to  feel 
uneasy?  You  can  answer  me  candidly,  because  you  may 
trust  me  implicitly." 

"  See  here,  Miss  Palmer.  This  is  my  first  command.  I 
am  in  charge  of  a  ship  manned  by  sixteen  men,  instead  of 
the  crew  of  four  times  that  number  which  a  vessel  of  this 
tonnage  needs.  I  am  answerable  for  the  lives  of  three  pas- 
sengers; one  of  whom  has  a  stronger  claim  upon  my  pro- 
tection than  I  should  know  how  to  express  in  words  were  I 
asked  to  do  so.  Should  I  be  fit  for  the  post  I  occupy  if  the 
responsibilities  of  it  did  not  make  me  anxious?" 

"  Then  you  are  uneasy  only  because  of  your  responsi- 
bilities, and  there  is  nothing  but  the  fear  that  something 
may  happen  to  worry  you?" 

"Why,  yes;  that's  about  it,"  said  I. 

"  I  should  like  a  walk,  Mr.  Madison.  May  I  take  your 
arm?  Thanks — the  vessel  rolls  a  little  now  and  then,  and 
the  dew  makes  the  deck  slippery." 

She  commanded  me  just  as  a  helmsman  governs  his  ship. 
There  was  never  anything  very  remarkable  in  her  words 
and  yet  they  acted  upon  me  like  a  tonic.  But  it  was  not 
what  she  said;  it  was  her  way  of  saying  it — the  beautiful 
song-like  charms  of  her  voice — the  firm  but  womanly  deci- 
sion of  character  her  manner  expressed,  that  influenced  me. 
Before  we  had  taken  half  a  dozen  turns,  she  had  made  me 
as  cheerful  as  I  was  before  dull ;  reasoned  me  out  of  my 
forebodings,  and  artfully  drawn  me  into  talking  of  pleasant 
things.  And  then — what  was  a  charming  surprise — she 
had  no  sooner  effected  her  purpose  of  heartening  me,  then 
she  changed  her  character.  A  sweet,  teasing,  coquettish 
air  replaced  her  grave  demeanor;  she  had  put  herself  in 
my  place,  so  to  speak,  in  order  to  advise  and  inspirit  me. 
This  done,  she  became  the  woman  again;  and  having  got 
me  into  a  condition  of  mind  fit  to  be  played  with,  she 
played  with  me. 

Heaven  knows  if  she  was  conscious  of  what  she  was 
doing;  I  was  inclined  to  think  she  was.  Anyway,  it 
pleased  me  better  to  imagine  that  her  captivating  posture 


FIRE !  399 

making  was  no  involuntary  exercise,  for  I  will  say,  at  once 
— I  was  in  love  with  her.  Ay,  the  admiration  she  had 
kindled  in  me  in  Lady  Tempest's  ballroom  had  proved  a 
rich  soil;  besides,  here  we  were  in  latitudes  proverbially 
favorable  to  speedy  and  luxuriant  growths.  But  she  was 
the  first  girl  I  had  ever  fallen  in  love  with  in  my  life,  and, 
honest  soul  that  I  was— for  my  heart  esteems  that  man  who 
is  a  greenhorn  in  his  emotions — I  was  not  only  persuaded 
that  she  had  no  suspicion  of  what  was  in  my  mind,  but  I 
took,  as  I  fancied,  the  utmost  care,  as  we  patrolled  the 
Namur's  quarter-deck,  that  no  words  of  mine  should  make 
her  reflective  in  that  direction.     . 

"It  is  much  too  early,"  said  I  to  myself,  "and  perhaps 
she  may  have  left  a  sweetheart  in  England,  or  perhaps,  in 
spite  of  her  professed  admiration  of  the  sea,  she  would 
shudder  at  the  notion  of  marrying  a  sailor,  or  perhaps" — 
but  my  modesty  had  a  score  of  reasons  which  need  not  be 
catalogued  for  throwing  a  veil  over  my  heart,  and  though  I 
believe  I  may  have  unconsciously  pressed  her  hand  under 
my  arm  against  my  side,  and  snatched  every  excuse  to  peer 
closely  into  her  face,  I  flattered  myself  when  I  bade  her 
good-night  that  she  had  as  little  suspicion  that  I  was  deeply 
m  love  with  her,  as  I  had  that  she  had  any  more  romantic 
feeling  for  me  than  a  kindly  friendship. 

She  had  lingered  to  a  late  hour  on  deck — it  was  past 
eleven — Mrs.  Solomons  had  withdrawn  half  an  hour  before; 
and  Miss  Palmer  would  have  stayed  longer  still,  I  believe, 
had  not  Mr.  Solomons  gone  below.  There  was  no  prudery 
in  her,  but  her  notions  of  propriety  were  English ;  and  one 
of  those  notions  was  that  there  was  no  harm  in  remaining 
on  deck  with  a  young  man  so  long  as  an  old  man  sat  near : 
though  the  old  man  might  have  been  asleep,  or  as  good  as 
asleep,  with  his  thoughts  among  his  share  of  the  ship's 
freight,  or  upon  the  bills  that  would  have  matured  before 
his  voyage  was  ended.  But  every  nation  must  have  its 
manners,  and  it  is  better  to  subject  our  girls  to  a  foolish 
than  to  a  barbarous  code  of  etiquette. 

And  yet  it  was  annoying  to  hear  Miss  Palmer  say,  as  she 
stood  upon  the  companion-steps : 

"  I  am  afraid  I  shall  find  it  very  hot  in  the  cabin.  How- 
ever, I  don't  feel  at  all  sleepy,  so  I  shall  open  the  window 


400  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

and  get  the  air  in  that  way,  and  watch  the  blue  fires  smoul- 
dering in  the  wake  of  the  ship;  there  is  nothing  prettier 
and  nothing  that  fills  the  mind  with  stranger  fancies." 

"  As  though  she  couldn't  remain  on  deck  to  keep  me 
company,"  thought  I.  But  it  would  not  do  to  suggest  it, 
and  for  three-quarters  of  an  hour  I  remained  alone,  think- 
ing of  her  sweet  figure  sitting  at  the  great  stern  window  of 
her  cabin,  and  wondering  what  form  her  musings  took,  and 
if  I  was  as  much  in  her  thoughts  as  she  was  in  mine. 

Eight  bells  were  struck — midnight :  a  hoarse  voice  bawled 
the  hour  down  the  fore-scuttle. 

"Star-bowlines,  ahoy!  out  with  you,  my  hearties!" 

Presently  a  man  came  along  the  deck  to  relieve  the 
wheel ;  he  was  followed  by  Parell. 

"  Still  very  quiet,  sir, "  said  he,  gaping  around  at  the  sea 
and  taking  an  unpoetical  squint  at  the  stars.  "  The  breeze 
holds,  though,  and  it's  a  mercy  to  feel  the  air;  for  of  all 
fok'sles  as  ever  I  slept  in,  I  never  knew  the  likes  of  this 
ship's  for  heat  and  cockroaches." 

"  You  will  keep  her  as  she  goes,"  said  I,  "and  see  that  a 
bright  lookout  is  kept.  I  heartily  hope  we  may  overhaul 
some  British  cruiser,  or  stumble  upon  some  friendly  ship. 
A  crew  composed  of  you  and  me  and  fifteen  men  is  hardly 
numerous  enough  for  a  ship  of  this  size  to  make  a  man 
sleep  with  an  easy  mind.  However,  there  is  nothing  to  be 
done  but  to  shove  the  old  wagon  along  as  fast  as  she  will 
sail,  and  to  keep  our  weather-eye  lifting  as  we  go." 

Saying  which,  and  ordering  him  to  arouse  me  should  a 
sail  heave  in  sight  or  the  weather  change,  I  wished  him 
good-night,  and  withdrew  to  my  berth. 

I  went  on  tiptoe  through  the  cabin,  and  listened  a  mo- 
ment or  so  at  Miss  Palmer's  door  to  ascertain  if  she  was 
still  up:  all  was  silent  and  I  passed  on.  Koomy  as  my 
berth  was,  it  was  as  hot  as  an  oven.  I  threw  open  the 
window,  and  pulling  off  my  shoes  and  coat,  lay  down  in 
my  bunk,  leaving  the  candle  alight  in  the  lamp  that  was 
hooked  to  an  eye  in  the  bulkhead.  My  bunk  faced  the 
window,  and  I  lay  watching  the  dark  sea  swelling  to  the 
stars  upon  the  horizon,  and  the  dome  of  heaven  that  was 
covered  with  a  glittering  dust,  amid  which  the  larger  stars 
floated  in  bland,  yellow,  clearly  defined  shapes.     The  ves- 


FIRE !  401 

sel  heaved  slightly  upon  the  ink-black  invisible  swell,  and 
now  and  again  the  rudder  drowsily  jarred  or  a  beam  under 
the  floor  creaked  faintly,  and  occasionally  I  could  hear  the 
flap  of  the  mainsail  against  the  shrouds,  while  the  refresh- 
ing bubbling  of  water  under  the  counter  was  like  the  tum- 
bling of  a  fountain  or  the  sound  of  rain  among  leaves. 

What  was  that? 

A  loud  cry  and  a  sudden  rush  of  feet,  and  then  another 
shout  and  the  splash  as  of  a  human  body  thrown  overboard. 

I  was  on  my  legs  in  an  instant,  my  momentary  impres- 
sion being  that  we  had  been  surprised  by  some  enemy's 
boats,  though  another  sense  in  me,  so  to  speak,  found  this 
impossible,  as,  even  supposing  every  man  on  deck  to  have 
been  asleep,  no  boat  could  have  approached  the  ship  with- 
out my  hearing  her  through  the  open  window. 

I  threw  open  my  cabin  door  and  ran  out.  It  was  dark — 
to  my  eyes  pitch-dark  after  the  bright  light  in  my  own 
berth.  I  felt  for  the  end  of  the  table,  and  sculled  along 
the  edge  of  it  as  swiftly  as  the  chairs  in  the  road  would 
permit  me,  and  just  as  I  reached  the  foot  of  the  companion- 
ladder,  the  starlight  above  was  blotted  out  by  the  inter- 
position of  a  human  body  in  the  act  of  descending. 

"Who's  that!"  I  exclaimed  in  a  loud  whisper. 

"Me— Parell!     Is  that  you,  Mr.  Madison?" 

"  Yes,  yes ;  what  is  the  matter?" 

"For  God's  sake,  bear  a  hand  and  come  on  deck,  sir. 
The  fok'sle  lamp's  been  capsized,  the  oil  set  flaming,  and 
the  ship's  on  fire!" 

A  man  need  not  have  been  to  sea  to  conceive  the  effect 
these  words  produced  in  me.  Of  all  the  perils  which  beset 
the  sailor,  fire  is  so  incalculably  the  worst,  that  alongside 
of  it  the  direst  horror  you  can  pick  out  of  the  maritime 
catalogue  is  mild  as  a  benediction.  The  very  word — "  fire !" 
— curdled  my  blood.  I  drew  a  thick,  half-suffocating 
breath,  reached  the  deck  with  a  bound,  and  rushed  forward. 

A  dense  volume  of  smoke  was  pouring  out  of  the  fore- 
scuttle,  going  up  in  a  thick,  black  pillar,  spangled  here  and 
there  with  sparks  to  half  the  height  of  the  foremast,  where 
the  wind  caught  it  and  bent  it  into  the  shape  of  a  bow,  and, 
dark  as  the  sea  was,  I  could  see  this  hideous  coil  pouring 
slowly  along  it 
26 


402  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

All  the  men  were  on  deck,  some  of  them  only  in  their 
shirts;  four  or  five  of  them  were  throwing  buckets  over- 
board, arid  hauling  them  up  full,  and  dashing  them  down 
the  scuttle;  others  had  rigged  the  head-pump;  others, 
again,  at  their  wits'  end  darted  here  and  there,  hoarsely 
shouting  out  their  notions  of  what  should  be  done. 

"Silence!"  I  roared.  "Where's  the  hose?  get  it  along, 
and  keep  that  head-pump  going.  Some  of  you  get  that 
lower  stun' sail  clear,  and  souse  it  overboard.  Parell,  give 
me  a  hand  here." 

A  spare  flying-jib  was  lying  on  the  forecastle .  I  bent  a 
line  on  to  it,  and  flung  it  into  the  sea;  it  was  dragged  up 
along  with  the  studding-sail,  streaming  wet,  and  bundled 
down  the  scuttle.  Instantly  a  fearful,  suffocating  volume 
of  smoke  belched  up  in  hideous  convolutions,  driving  away 
the  men  as  though  a  giant's  hand  had  pressed  them 
back. 

"Keep  that  head-pump  going,  men!"  I  shouted,  "and 
form  you  into  a  line  for  the  side  buckets.  Have  no  fear — 
keep  cool.  If  the  worst  comes  to  the  worst  we  have  good 
boats,  and  our  number  is  small.  Stand  to  your  duty,  my 
brave  fellows!  Ransom,  come  you  along  with  me  to  the 
main -hatch." 

I  rushed  aft,  followed  by  the  boy,  but  instead  of  descend- 
ing into  the  'tween-decks,  I  scampered  to  the  gig  that  was 
slung  to  the  stern  davits,  jumped  into  her,  handed  out  .the 
breaker  to  Hansom,  and  ordered  him  immediately  to  fill  it 
with  water  and  replace  it  in  the  bows  of  the  boat.  I  then 
ran  below  to  my  berth,  unhooked  the  lamp,  and  flinging 
all  thoughts  of  propriety  to  the  wind  at  such  a  moment, 
threw  open  Miss  Palmer's  door. 

She  was  standing  by  the  side  of  her  bunk,  fully  dressed 
■ — even  to  her  hat:  precisely  as  she  had  quitted  the  deck. 
Her  eyes  sparkled  in  the  lamplight  as  she  turned  them 
upon  me,  but  no  exclamation  escaped  her,  and  I  knew  by 
her  demeanor  that  she  was  conscious  of  what  had  happened, 
and  was  waiting  for  me  to  come  to  her. 

"The  ship  has  taken  fire  forward,"  said  I.  "Give  me 
your  hand — have  no  fear — it  is  fifty  to  one  if  we  don't  mas- 
ter the  flames.  Meanwhile  my  business  is  to  place  you  in 
a  safe  place.     Come!" 


FIRE !  403 

She  ran  to  me;  I  grasped  her  wrist  aud  hurried  her 
through  the  cabin.  As  I  passed  the  Solomonses'  door  I 
flung  it  open. 

"Follow  me  on  deck!"  I  cried.  "We  are  in  great  dan- 
ger!    Ho,  there!  are  you  awake?" 

I  flashed  the  lamp  upon  the  cabin,  and  saw  Mrs.  Solo- 
mons sitting  up  in  her  bunk,  and  Solomons'  head  over  the 
side  of  his  cot. 

"I  cannot  stay!"  I  shouted.  "If  the  men  miss  me  they 
will  think  I  have  betrayed  them,  and  abandon  the  ship. 
Follow  me  on  deck,  I  say.     The  vessel  is  on  fire." 

A  loud  shriek  broke  from  the  poor  woman,  and  the  old 
man  threw  himself  out  of  his  cot.  Knowing  they  would 
follow  me,  I  hurried  Miss  Palmer  on  deck  and  ran  with  her 
to  the  gig. 

"  Jump  into  that  boat,"  I  said  to  her,  "  and  we  will  lower 
you  into  the  water.  Ask  no  questions,  and  have  no  fear. 
Do  as  I  say." 

"I  have  no  fear,"  she  answered,  in  a  steady  voice,  and 
slightly  raising  her  dress,  she  sprang  on  to  the  taffrail,  and 
seated  herself  in  the  boat. 

I  took  a  hurried  glance  forward:  the  fire  was  gaining 
upon  the  men  fast;  forks  of  flame  like  flashes  of  lightning 
glanced  upon  the  ponderous  column  of  smoke,  and  lighted 
up  the  half-naked  figures  toiling  like  demons  round  the 
mouth  of  the  fiery  cavern. 

I  got  into  the  stern  of  the  boat,  and  took  a  turn  with  the 
hauling  end  of  the  after-fall  round  a  thwart. 

"Get  your  end  of  the  fall  round  a  belay ing-pin,"  I  said 
to  Ransom. 

"Ready,  sir." 

"Then  lower  away." 

The  boat  sank  to  the  water.  I  unhooked  both  falls,  and, 
making  the  painter  fast  round  my  waist,  I  clambered  up 
the  port  fall,  gained  the  deck,  and  hitched  the  end  of  the 
painter  to  the  starboard  vang.  The  very  slow  way  the  ship 
had,  enabled  me  to  perform  this  job  without  risk ;  and  the 
whole  business  occupied  very  little  more  time  than  I  have 
taken  to  write  this  account  of  it. 

"You  are  perfectly  safe  there,  Miss  Palmer,"  I  shouted 
oat,  peering  over  the  taffrail  at  her  as  she  sat  in  the  boat, 


404         AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

that  was  now  towing  astern,   and  whose  stem  broke  the 
water  into  threads. 

"I  know  I  am  safe,"  she  replied.  "Do  not  forget  that 
there  are  others." 

"I  will  see  to  them,"  I  answered;  and  rushed  forward 
again  to  let  the  men  know  I  had  not  deserted  them — mar- 
veling at  the  wonderful  courage  of  this  girl  from  whose  lips 
not  a  sound  had  broken  as  the  boat  sank  into  the  water, 
nor  when  she  had  seen  me  clamber  on  board  again,  and  who 
still  preserved  her  heroic  fortitude  as  she  sat)  in  the  deep 
shadow  thrown  upon  the  sea  by  the  high  stern  of  the  ship, 
alone,  with  the  black  water  within  a  few  inches  of  her 
hand! 

But  her  being  where  she  was  made  my  heart  lighter.  I 
had  provided,  at  all  events,  for  her  safety — such  as  that  pro- 
vision was — against  the  terribly  sudden  and  unexpected  oc- 
currences of  a  fire  at  sea,  and,  noticing  that  the  Solomonses 
had  not  yet  arrived  on  deck,  I  plunged  among  the  men. 

Hardly  had  I  reached  the  fore-scuttle,  when  an  immense 
body  of  flame  soared  up.  The  brilliance  blasted  the  eye- 
sight; the  heat  was  scorching;  the  foresail  caught,  and 
spanged  into  a  terrific  blaze ;  the  men  at  the  head-pump, 
fearing  to  be  cut  off  by  the  fire,  darted  aft,  and  there  was  a 
rush  into  the  waist. 

From  the  moment  my  eye  had  caught  sight  of  the  smoke, 
on  my  arrival  on  deck,  I  had  no  hope  that  my  slender  crew 
would  be  able  to  save  the  vessel ;  but  I  never  could  have 
imagined  that  the  fire  would  have  gained  upon  the  ship  so 
fast  and  furiously.  Already  she  was  in  a  blaze  forward:  a 
quantity  of  vapor  was  pouring  out  of  the  main-hatch,  which 
we  had  not  had  time  to  close;  her  foremast  was  in  flames; 
her  canvas  streamed  in  ruby-colored  trails ;  the  tar  on  the 
standing  rigging  burned  swiftly  and  dropped  in  flaming 
lumps,  which  emitted  a  sooty  smoke ;  and  yellow  fire  flick- 
ered along  her  forestays,  and  worked  its  way  among  the 
jibs  down  to  the  bowsprit  and  jibboom ;  and  masses  of 
smoke  overhung  the  sea  like  a  huge  thunder-cloud. 

The  men  stood  in  the  waist  paralyzed.  I  saw  their  eye- 
balls rolling  like  redhot  cinders  in  the  crimson  radiance  of 
the  flames,  which  darted  up  and  coiled  around  the  fore- 
mast with  the  hoarse  and  rushing  sound  of  a  sweeping 


FIRE !  405 

wind.  Their  shadows  lay  like  bronze  effigies  upon  the 
dusky  yellow  sheen  on  the  decks;  their  faces  gleamed  like 
quicksilver  in  the  overpowering  light — and  who  could  de- 
scribe the  anguish  and  dismay  expressed  in  some  of  their 
postures  as  they  turned  toward  the  fire  after  their  rush 
from  the  forecastle,  and  stood — every  one  of  them — motion- 
less as  images,  as  long  as  it  would  have  taken  a  man  to 
count  twenty? 

For  the  space  of  half  a  mile  to  leeward  of  the  ship  the 
heavens  were  hidden  by  the  smoke,  and  the  stars  replaced 
by  millions  of  fiery  sparks,  which  sailed  away  in  whole 
constellations,  for  among  the  other  things  I  took  notice  of 
in  this  awful  time  was  that  the  smoke  from  the  fore-hatch 
did  not  go  up  steadily,  but  was  vomited  out  in  black,  fat 
masses,  like  a  succession  of  discharges  from  a  gun,  and 
with  every  belch  of  jetty  vapor  there  rushed  forth  myriads 
of  sparks,  while  between  the  puffs  the  flames  soared  in  a 
column  the  circumference  of  whose  base  Avas  the  aperture 
through  which  the  fire  darted,  but  whose  summit  branched 
out  like  a  palm-tree,  slightly  inclined  over  the  ship's  head 
by  the  light  breeze. 

I  was  in  the  act  of  shouting  to  the  men  to  clear  away  the 
pinnace  and  get  it  overboard,  when  the  wind  was  knocked 
out  of  my  body  and  I  was  nearly  thrown  down  by  Mrs. 
Solomons  flinging  her  whole  weight  upon  me. 

"Oh,  Mr.  Madison!"  she  shrieked,  "for  God  Almighty's 
sake  tell  us  what  to  do!  Make  'em  put  the  boats  over: 
it'll  be  too  late  soon!" 

And  she  recoiled  from  me  with  an  ear-splitting  yell,  as 
the  flames,  reaching  a  large  pivot-gun  on  the  forecastle,  ex- 
ploded it  with  a  violent  concussion,  while  almost  at  the 
same  instant  the  foretopmast  fell — a  huge  glowing  beam — ■ 
sweeping  the  blazing  yards  and  rigging  through  the  air  in 
its  descent  over  the  bows,  amid  a  roaring  like  the  breaking 
of  a  heavy  surf. 

"By  God,  she  is  right,  Parell!"  I  shouted.  "Get  the 
pinnace  over,  man.  The  ship  will  be  on  fire  from  stem  to 
stern  in  another  five  minutes.  Take  your  wife's  hand,"  I 
exclaimed  to  Mr.  Solomons,  who  stood  looking  up  at  the 
blazing  rigging  so  phlegmatically  that  I  believed  he  was 
dazed  by  the  sudden  calamity  j  "  and  stand  at  this  gangway 


406  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

while  I  haul  the  gig  round.  Keep  your  presence  of  mind, 
Mrs.  Solomons;  there  are  boats  enough  to  save  ten  times 
our  number." 

I  ran  aft  to  loose  the  gig's  painter  from  the  vang  to 
which  I  had  hitched  it.  Where  was  it?  I  rubbed  my  eyes 
furiously,  and  looked  again:  the  hitch  had  slipped,  and  the 
rope  had  gone  away  overboard.  The  blazing  heights  of 
mast  and  sail  sent  the  red  glare  broadcast  over  the  sea,  and 
to  my  horror  and  despair  I  beheld  the  gig,  with  Madeline 
Palmer  standing  up  in  it  and  waving  her  arms,  floating  a 
quarter  of  a  mile. astern. 

The  misery  of  a  lifetime  wrenched  my  heart  at  the  sight: 
I  am  sure  it  drove  me  mad  for  the  moment.  I  whipped 
out  my  knife,  cut  the  lanyards  of  a  life-buoy  that  hung  over 
the  taffrail,  slipped  the  thing  under  my  arms,  and  threw 
myself  overboard — a  twenty-feet  fall.  It  was  all  sputter, 
giddiness,  froth,  and  splashing;  I  was  then  on  the  surface 
with  the  life-buoy  under  my  armpits,  and  swimming  with 
eager,  feverish  sweeping  of  my  limbs  toward  the  gig. 

The  cold  water  gave  me  back  my  mind,  or  at  all  events 
the  capacity  of  understanding  my  actions.  The  life-buoy 
securely  floated  me,  and  I  merely  needed  to  move  my  hands 
and  legs  to  propel  myself  toward  the  gig.  My  brain  then 
became  extraordinarily  active;  no  drug  could  have  pro- 
duced so  great  and  violent  a  passage  of  thought,  though 
without  confusion:  for  I  was  perfectly  cool;  I  reasoned 
collectedly  on  the  impression  my  jumping  overboard  would 
produce  on  the  men,  and  assured  myself  that  my  action 
would  immediately  be  justified  to  them  when  they  saw  that 
the  boat  was  adrift  with  Madeline  Palmer  alone  in  her;  I 
also  knew  that  they  would  launch  the  pinnace,  that  there 
was  room  in  her  for  twice  their  number,  and  that  I  could 
have  done  no  more  for  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Solomons  than  I  could 
trust  that  intelligent  seaman,  Parell,  to  do.  And  then  I 
thought  of  the  agony  of  mind  the  girl  I  was  making  for 
must  have  suffered  when  she  found  the  boat  stationary,  and 
the  flaming  ship  leaving  her. 

And  then  I  wondered  if  there  were  any  sharks  in  the 
neighborhood ! 

At  this  thought  the  blood  tingled  in  my  system  with  the 
violence  of  the  cramp,  and,  setting  my  teeth,  I  swam  with 


FIRE !  407 

all  my  might.  The  vision  of  Chestree's  dead  body  in  the 
midst  of  the  foam  lashed  up  by  the  bloody  worrying  of  the 
sharks  rose  with  horrid  vividness  to  my  mind's  eye,  and  a 
dreadful  expectation  tortured  every  nerve  in  my  body  from 
the  top  of  my  head  down  to  the  soles  of  my  feet.  0  God ! 
what  agony  was  there  in  this  thought!  To  this  hour  I 
marvel  that  I  did  not  clamber  out  of  the  water  into  the  gig 
a  white-haired  man.  Do  not  call  it  cowardice,  but  'rather 
consider  the  many  surrounding  horrors  whose  whole  forces 
contributed  to  exasperate  the  poignant  expectation  that 
possessed  me  during  my  lonely  swim :  the  sea  was  colored 
like  sulphur  by  the  blazing  ship  down  to  many  fathoms 
ahead  of  the  boat,  but  beyond  it  was  stone  black,  and  the 
short  horizon  I  commanded  with  my  head  and  shoulders 
above  water  brought  the  stars  down  to  the  very  surface  of 
the  ebony  space,  and  the  mere  unearthliness  of  the  effect  of 
the  color  of  the  water  in  which  I  swam  against  the  black 
sky  and  the  stars  which  reeled  upon  the  sea  within  the  dis- 
tance of  a  few  strokes  of  an  oar,  might  have  unstrung  the 
nerves  of  the  most  robust  man  living;  behind  me  I  could 
hear  the  roaring  of  the  flames,  the  crash  of  falling  spars, 
the  hissing  of  huge  glowing  fragments  quenched  by  the  sea 
as  they  plunged  over  the  side,  the  occasional  boom  of  ord- 
nance as  from  time  to  time  the  loaded  guns  wrere  exploded 
by  the  heat,  and  the  permanent  undertone  of  crackling  and 
splitting  wood,  of  huge  timbers  warping,  of  solid  plates 
and  bars  and  fastenings  of  iron  torn  out  of  their  holdings 
by  the  blasting  and  withering  hand  of  the  fire-fiend,  an  up- 
roar blended  by  distance  into  one  dreadful  sound  that 
lurked  among  and  ran  through  the  explosions  of  the  guns 
and  the  splintering  of  wood,  as  though  it  were  the  moaning 
of  the  ship  herself  in  her  agony. 

These  things  my  consciousness  took  note  of,  in  spite  of 
the  pressing  fear  of  having  a  shark  in  my  wake,  as  I  mowed 
through  the  water  with  my  hands  and  made  the  life-buoy 
splash  up  the  foam  as  though  I  were  in  tow  of  a  boat. 

I  had  but  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  swim — perhaps  less,  for 
at  that  time  I  had  no  eye  for  the  calculation  of  distance — 
and  already,  in  the  clear  yellowish  radiance  shed  by  the 
burning  ship,  I  could  distinguish  Miss  Palmer's  face,  and 
see  that  she  was  watching  me,     I   continued   swimming 


408  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

with  all  my  strength  without  once  looking  behind  me  until 
I  reached  the  side  of  the  gig,  and  then  telling  Miss  Palmer 
to  sit  lest  she  should  be  thrown  into  the  water  by  the  sway- 
ing of  the  boat,  I  clambered  over  the  gunwale,  threw  off 
the  life-buoy,  and  lay  back,  spent  by  my  fierce  exertions, 
and  incapable  of  speech. 

The  moment  I  was  in  the  boat,  Miss  Palmer  knelt  down, 
took  my  streaming  hands  in  hers  and  held  them  without 
speaking,  looking  eagerly  into  my  face,  which,  as  it  was 
turned  toward  the  ship,  was  distinctly  visible  to  her.  This 
was  her  manner  of  showing  her  sympathy  and  the  gladness 
my  presence  gave  her ;  but  how  am  I  to  convey  to  you  the 
tenderness,  the  compassion  of  her  posture?  I  raised  her 
hands  to  my  lips,  and  then  drew  my  own  away  to  squeeze 
the  salt  out  of  my  eyes  and  to  open  the  collar  of  my  shirt, 
that  was  half  strangling  me.     I  drew  a  deep  breath. 

"Are  the  others  safe?"  wras  the  first  question  she  asked 
me. 

"Yes,"  I  replied,  having  no  doubt  of  it;  "by  this  time 
they  will  have  launched  the  pinnace." 

I  stood  up  in  the  boat  to  see  if  I  could  make  out  any 
signs  of  them.  I  was  surprised  to  observe  the  distance  the 
ship  had  travelled  from  the  gig.  She  had  paid  off  dead 
before  the  wind,  and  her  helm  being,  as  I  might  take  it, 
amidships,  she  was  steering  as  straight  as  an  arrow;  the 
after-part  of  her  from  her  main-hatch  was  free  from  fire, 
but  forward  she  was  a  mass  of  flames,  upon  which  the 
breeze  acted  as  though  they  had  been  sails,  and  the  pall  of 
smoke  that  was  swept  forward  with  her  concealing  the  sum- 
mits of  the  spikes  and  forks  and  lancings  of  the  fire,  she 
resembled  a  sheet  of  flame  as  square  as  her  forej'ards  and 
as  high  as  her  tops  driving  along  the  sea.  A  magnificent, 
an  awful  sight,  though  distance  robbed  it  of  something  of 
its  sublimity;  the  sea  was  blood-red  under  her,  and  a  wide 
circumference  of  sky  was  illuminated  by  a  ruddy  glow  that 
was  almost  as  vivid  as  a  flush  of  sunset,  but  rendered  un- 
speakably impressive  by  the  midnight  gloom  into  which  it 
paled  away  on  either  hand. 

I  thought,  indeed  I  was  sine,  that  I  could  see  the  pin- 
nace towing  at  the  ship's  quarter,  and  I  pointed  it  out  to 
Miss  Palmer,  saying  that  they  ought  to  make  haste  to  get 


FIRE !  409 

into  the  boat  and  cast  her  adrift,  as  the  ship  might  explode 
at  any  moment. 

"  If  they  allow  themselves  to  be  dragged  much  further, 
we  shall  lose  sight  of  them,"  she  exclaimed.* 

"Yes,  I  am  thinking  of  that  too,"  I  answered.  "What 
is  Parell  about?  Is  he  taking  in  some  stores  while  time 
remains?  Pray  God  he  is!"  I  cried,  remembering  that 
there  was  nothing  in  the  gig  but  the  small  cask  of  water. 
"But,  great  heaven,  let  him  be  quick!  should  the  after- 
guns  explode,  the  pinnace  may  be  knocked  into  staves." 

I  threw  myself  down  on  the  thwart  alongside  of  Miss 
Palmer.  I  was  giddy,  my  legs  trembled  under  me;  my 
physical  strength  was  lamentably  betraying  me,  and  swift 
feverish  shudders  were  chasing  through  my  body,  to  which 
my  streaming  clothes  hung  like  plasters. 

"What  a  frightful  situation  for  you  to  be  in,"  I  said: 
"  though,  Heaven  knows,  you  meet  it  with  a  most  coura- 
geous heart."  I  clasped  and  held  her  hand  as  any  child 
might  have  done,  and  said,  "  I  hope  the  men  will  not  be- 
lieve I  deserted  them.  The  sight  of  your  drifting  away 
alone  in  this  boat  drove  me  crazy !  surely  when  they  saw 
me  making  for  you  they  would  understand  my  action,  and 
know  that  I  was  doing  my  duty  in  leaving  them  for  you." 

"Oh,  they  will  not  misjudge  you,"  she  answered,  in  a 
low  but  perfectly  calm  and  sweet  voice ;  and  she  was  about 
to  begin  another  sentence,  but  stopped  with  a  little  convul- 
sive breath  that  was  like  a  sob,  and  her  hand  trembled  in 
mine. 

"See!"  I  cried.  "The  mainsail  has  caught  fire!  How 
the  blaze  seems  to  gash  the  sky  with  a  bloody  wound! 
Hark!  that  was  a  main-deck  gun — another!  why  do  not 
they  shove  off?  the  fire  will  be  into  the  magazine  in  a  few 
moments!  The  main-topsail  catches  now — heaven  and 
earth!  it  is  as  though  a  volcano  were  blazing  in  the  midst 
of  the  sea.  Can  you  see  anything  of  the  boat?  My  eyes 
are  dazzled  with  the  light  and  sore  with  the  salt  water!" 

She  held  her  hand  to  her  brow  and  looked. 

"I  see  the  same  small  black  object  near  the  stern,"  she 
answered.  "But  how  fast  the  ship  goes!  She  is  no  more 
than  a  ball  of  fire  now.  Oh,  what  madness  to  remain  in 
her!" 


410  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

"Madness,  indeed!"  I  cried  passionately.  "Is  it  the 
cursed  drink  that  keeps  them?  Once  adrift,  will  Parell  be 
able  to  find  us  amid  the  darkness?" 

I  now,  for  the  first  time,  noticed  that  there  was  but  one 
oar  in  the  boat ;  and  for  the  moment  this  discovery  gave  a 
new  edge  to  the  misery  of  our  situation.  "  But  what  does 
it  matter?"  I  thought.  Had  we  a  dozen  oars,  what  would 
they  profit  us?  Should  the  pinnace  miss  us,  our  only 
chance  will  lie  in  a  passing  ship. 

However,  I  held  my  peace  on  this  point;  and  we  re- 
mained gazing  at  the  burning  ship,  and  watching  the  illu- 
minated water  astern  of  her  for  the  black  speck  that  would 
denote  the  liberation  of  the  pinnace  from  the  side  of  the 
vessel. 

The  wind  blew  softly;  but  my  hot  cheeks  found  no  re- 
freshment in  it.  From  time  to  time  a  fit  of  terror  that  no 
exertion  of  my  will  could  repress  seized  me  when  I  turned 
my  eyes  from  the  scarlet  glare  ahead  to  the  black  water 
'  alongside,  and  noticed  how  close  we  lay  to  the  surface  of  it. 
At  other  moments,  I  was  sensible  of  an  amazing  lightness" 
of  my  body ;  and  this  feeling  possessed  me  with  a  violent 
inclination  to  laugh  out,  the  vanquishing  of  which  caused 
me  an  agonizing  struggle. 

"Why,  how  strangely  things  come  about!"  I  exclaimed 
presently,  in  a  voice  so  hoarse  that,  like  Fear  in  Collins's 
ode,  I  started  at  the  sound  myself  had  made.  "  Figurez- 
vous,"  as  Johnny  Crapeau  says,  a  gentleman  and  a  lady 
meeting  in  a  ballroom  —wax-candles  sparkling  over  them— 
the  polished  floor  reflecting  their  figures  as  clearly  as  a 
looking-glass — brilliantly  dressed  people  around — the  flash 
of  epaulets,  diamonds,  glass-clear  scabbards  dancing  upon 
the  eye  with  the  diamond-like  playing  of  the  waters  of 
Plymouth  Sound  when  the  high  sun  stands  over  them! 
Now  drop  the  curtain  upon  the  glittering  scene.  Hey, 
presto,  pass!— as  the  conjurors  say — the  curtain  rises  again. 
Father  of  mercy,  what  is  here?  Two  figures  in  a  lonely 
boat :  the  outline  of  their  faces" — I  dropped  my  head  on 
one  side  to  peer  at  my  companion — "  faintly  touched  up 
with  the  sulphur-colored  radiance  of  their  ship,  that  blazes 
like  a  burning  mountain  on  the  midnight  sea.  Who  are 
chey  ?     Why — did  not  the  curtain  fall  upon  them  a  moment 


FIRE!  411 

ago?  0  my  God!  spare  one  of  thern— spare  one  of  them 
for  the  sake  of  her  beautiful  nature  and  her  courageous 
heart!" 

I  raised  my  hands  to  the  stars  like  a  ranting  tragedian, 
and  then  covered  my  face  with  them. 

Phew! — it  was  like  touching  my  cheeks  with  heated  iron. 

"How  horribly  hot  these  hands  of  mine  are!"  I  ex- 
claimed, looking  at  them.  "And  hark  to  the  croak  in  my 
voice.  Am  I  going  mad?  I  would  swear  that  there  is  a 
demon  perched  on  each  of  my  eyeballs,  hammering  my 
temples,  here"- — touching  them — "with  a  calking  mallet." 

"  Why  not  lie  down,  Mr.  Madison?"  she  said,  so  calmly 
that  I  could  clearly  hear  and  feel  the  sympathy  of  the  rich 
sweet  tones.  "  You  are  exhausted  and  feverish.  Take 
some  rest,  and  I  will  keep  watch.  For  my  sake,  lie  down. 
If  harm  befalls  you,  what  will  become  of  me?" 

"  Harm  shall  not  befall  you,  Madeline — why,  what  do  I 
call  you?     Oh,  I  cannot  say  Miss  Palmer " 

"Say  Madeline." 

" Madeline— what  a  tender  name!     Madeline "  and  I 

lingered  over  the  word,  repeating  it  several  times.  "  What 
was  I  saying?  Ah,  you  wished  me  to  lie  down.  But  not 
while  that  vessel  lies  flashing  like  a  brand  against  the 
stars.  No,  let  me  see  her  vanish,  Madeline,  and  then  we 
will  consider  what  is  best  to  be  done." 

I  endeavored  to  rise,  but  reeled  like  a  drunken  man,  and 
dropped  heavily  upon  the  thwart  again,  with  my  hand  upon 
her  shoulder.  Alas!  alas!  that  I,  who  would  have  died 
for  this  girl,  should,  in  the  insanity  of  the  fever  that  was 
eating  into  my  brain,  have  refined  the  torments  of  her  situ- 
ation by  my  language  and  conduct!  I  was  like  a  half- 
drugged  man,  inspired  by  some  devil  that  made  me  say  and 
do  a  hundred  extravagant  things  of  the  imbecility,  ay,  and 
even  of  the  cruelty  of  which  I  was  perfectly  sensible,  though 
I  could  no  more  control  my  tongue  and  gestures  than  I 
could  have  extinguished  the  burning  ship  by  blowing 
through  my  lips  at  her. 

Prom  time  to  time  I  would  look  from  the  flaming  vessel 
to  Madeline,  and  by  such  feeble  light  as  the  distant  glare 
and  the  stars  threw  upon  her,  I  saw  that  her  face,  pale  as 
marble;,  was  as  steady  and  tranquil  as  marble  too.     She  let 


412  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE 

me  take  her  hand  and  hold  and  even  kiss  it  without  even 
offering  to  withdraw  it,  and  sometimes  she  would  dip  a  silk 
handkerchief  she  had  removed  from  her  throat  in  the  water 
alongside  and  press  it  to  my  burning  forehead,  and  when- 
ever she  saw  me  rocking  in  my  seat,  she  would  pass  her  arm 
round  my  back  to  support  me. 

All  this  I  noticed  and  tried  in  my  delirious  way  to  thank 
her  for,  but  after  a  little  while  I  found  that  speaking  gave 
me  pain,  not  because  of  the  effort  of  it,  but  because  my 
tongue  seemed  formed  of  molten  lead,  so  heavy  that  the 
muscles  of  it  had  scarce  power  to  move  it,  and  so  burning 
hot  that  every  wag  of  it  was  like  the  red-hot  end  of  a 
lighted  cigar  tossing  in  my  mouth. 

There  was  the  half  of  a  cocoanut  shell  lying  in  the  bot- 
tom of  the  boat  that  had  probably  been  used  as  a  baler. 
Madeline's  foot  striking  against  it  called  her  attention  to 
it;  she  picked  it  up,  and  I  gave  a  strange  laugh  as  she  ex- 
amined it.  It  evidently  put  an  idea  into  her  head,  for  she 
rose  and  was  moving  forward.     I  clutched  her  dress. 

"Madeline,"  I  cried,  "don't  leave  me!  sit  where  you 
are!     Where  would  you  go?" 

"To  get  you  some  water,"  she  answered. 

"Oh,  that  is  what  I  want!"  I  exclaimed  in  my  thick 
voice.  "Ay,  get  me  some  water,  Madeline;  it  will  cool 
my  red-hot  tongue,  and  I  shall  be  able  to  talk  to  you. 
Yes,  to  be  sure,  water  is  what  I  want,"  and  I  mumbled 
this  over  and  over  until  she  came  out  of  the  bows  of  the 
boat  with  the  shell  full  of  water. 

She  held  it  to  my  lips,  and  I  drank  with  terrible  eager- 
ness. Strange  as  it  will  seem  to  you,  I  did  not  know— or 
shall  I  say  I  did  not  feel? — the  craving  of  thirst  until  the 
water  was  at  my  lips,  and  then  the  sense  of  thirst  became 
a  madness.  Oh,  the  deliciousness  of  that  draught!  the 
blessed  though  short-lived  relief  it  yielded  me ! 

"It  has  made  a  man  of  me,  Madeline!"  I  exclaimed, 
covering  her  hand  with  kisses  in  my  delirious  gratitude. 
"  Let  God  but  give  me  strength  and  health  to  hold  by  you 
until  you  are  rescued,  and  I  shall  be  ready  to  die!" 

I  hid  my  face  in  my  burning  hands,  and  felt  the  boiling 
drops  searing  my  face  as  they  oozed  like  blood  from  my 
eyes. 


FIRE !  413 

"Julian,"  she  whispered,  putting  her  lips  to  my  ear  and 
passing  her  hand  round  my  neck,  and  pronouncing  my 
name  with  exquisite  tenderness;  and  I  knew  as  well  as 
though  my  pulse  beat  moderately  and  my  head  were  cool 
and  my  brain  clear,  that  she  called  me  by  my  Christian 
name  for  the  greater  sympathy  it  would  express  and  for 
the  happiness  it  would  give  me,  speaking  it  out  of  her  full 
tenderness  and  eagerness  to  soothe  and  comfort  me. 

I  removed  my  hands  from  my  face  and  looked  at  her. 

"You  are  ill,  Julian,"  she  whispered,  "but  rest  will 
make  you  well.  Take  that  rest  while  you  can.  See  how 
calm  the  water  is,  and  how  clear  the  sky !  In  such  weather 
we  are  as  safe  in  this  little  boat  as  we  were  in  the  Namur. 
Don't  let  us  forebode  until  real  danger  threatens  us.  To- 
morrow a  ship  may  come  and  rescue  us.  God  is  our  Father : 
His  eye  is  upon  us;  my  faith  in  His  mercy  was  never 
greater  than  it  is  now." 

I  grasped  her  hands,  looking  her  steadily  in  the  face. 

"  Madeline — dearest  girl — this  fever  is  killing  my  mind, 
and  I  shall  die  delirious.  I  love  you,  Madeline — kiss  me 
before  I  lose  consciousness." 

"  You  shall  not  die!"  she  cried,  with  an  outburst  of  pas- 
sion; then,  controlling  herself,  she  bent  close  to  me,  that  I 
might  see  ^he  smiled,  and  pressed  her  lips  to  my  forehead. 

"  You  will  do  now  as  I  ask  you — you  will  lie  down." 

She  took  the  light  shawl  from  her  shoulders  and  rolled 
it  up  to  serve  me  as  a  pillow,  and  stood  up :  I  rose  too,  but 
as  I  did  so  the  ship,  that  had  driven  at  least  three  and  a 
half  to  four  miles  away  from  us,  and  rested  upon  the  sea  in 
what  resembled  a  circular  shape  of  fire — a  huge  red-hot 
globe — blew  up.  At  that  distance  every  glowing  portion 
of  the  ill-fated  vessel  looked  but  a  mere  spark,  and  the 
effect  was  much  as  though  a  shipload  of  rockets  had  ex- 
ploded. A  large  space  of  sky  in  the  southwest  was  filled 
with  brilliant  spangles ;  their  radiance  glanced  with  a  pale 
yellow  glare  upon  the  air  and  the  water  like  a  flash  of 
lightning;  then  the  whole  was  extinguished  as  though  an 
impenetrable  cloud  had  rolled  between  us  and  the  flaming 
particles,  and  the  crash  of  the  explosion  boomed  past  us 
along  the  smooth  surface  of  the  deep  like  a  short  pea]  of 
thunder. 


414  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

I  looked  around  me,  and  rubbed  my  burning  eyes  furi- 
ously, in  the  belief  that  1  had  lost  the  use  of  my  sight. 
The  heavens  and  the  sea  -were  black  as  pitch ;  I  could  see 
no  stars,  no  swelling  gleam  upon  the  water. 

Well  do  I  remember  the  fit  of  horror  that  seized  me  now. 

'•Madeline!''  I  shrieked,  "we  are  alone — give  me  your 
hand — where  are  you? — quick,  your  hand!" 

I  gasped  for  breath,  and  was  suffocating :  I  felt  her  seize 
my  arm,  and  recollect  muttering,  "This  is  death!"  and 
feeling  my  legs  give  under  me  as  though  they  had  shifted 
and  dissolved  like  pillars  of  sand,  and  falling  in  a  heap  in 
the  bottom  of  the  boat,  and  that  is  all  I  remember. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

H.     M.     S.     SPEEDWELL. 

Whex  consciousness  dawned  on  me  again,  the  scene  had 
changed ;  the  night  was  past,  the  morning  had  come :  but 
where  was  I? 

I  tried  to  move  my  head,  but  I  might  as  well  have  en- 
deavored to  carry  a  sixty -four  pound  earronade  on  my 
back.  As  I  had  not  the  power  to  turn  my  head  to  .1 
thought  I  would  touch,  and  make  discoveries  with  my  fin- 
gers :  but  here  I  was  balked  again,  for  my  arms  lay  by  my 
side  as  dead  as  a  pair  of  wooden  legs.  "  Good  heaven!" 
thought  I.  "•  what  is  the  matter  with  me.  and  what  has 
done  to  me?"  That  my  consciousness  must  have 
tolerably  active,  however.  I  know  by  re  ...ring  thai  I 
said  to  myself,  "  Gulliver  must  have  felt  like  this  when  he 
awoke  from  his  first  sleep  in  Lilli]  I  pan  this 

comparison  with  a  species  of  mild  and  foolish      mplace] 
and  then  tried  to  make  .  a\  the  character  of  the  place  in 
which  I  lay.     It  might  have  very  well  pass       tor  a  coffin. 
and  had  it  not  been  dark  when  my  senses  returned,  and  I 
had  been  able  I      ise  my  hands,  I  should  have 

believed  I  was  between  the  boai  Is,  and  either  buried 
ready  to  lower  away. 

I  looked  steadily  at  the  sort  of  decked  covering  over  me. 
which  was  all  that  I  could  see.     "  This  must  be  a 
thought  I.  "and — yes.  I  am  on  board  a  vessel.     I  feel  :..-.- 
movement  of  her.    and  hear  :        si  »  of  bulkhe     - 

.r  vessel?"  and  I  fell  inl      .     ile  quandary.     Lord!  the 
lement  that  afflicted  me!     "Pooh,  pooh!'3    I 
said!  -  -  -  vessel       a  fool?     What 

vessel  but  the  .  --  an  this  be.  think  ;  .  ..  i  simple- 
tan?  Ay.  to  be  sure — what  ves?el  could  1  be  aboard  of  but 
the    .        ss?     Nc  —.1  was  not   such  an  ass  as  1 


41 G  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

thought.  "This  is  not  the  Tigress,  for  all  that,"  said  I, 
and  I  tried  to  shake  my  head;  it  would  have  been  easier  to 
make  a  turtle  laugh  by  tickling  its  shell. 

Presently  I  was  sensible  that  some  one  was  looking  at 
me.  I  wanted  to  apologize  for  not  being  able  to  turn  my 
head :  some  disjointed  words  rumbled  in  my  throat,  but  no 
nervous  bridegroom,  returning  thanks,  ever  made  a  more 
terrible  mess  of  a  speech. 

"  Hush,  pray !  do  not  attempt  to  speak ;  endeavor  if  you 
can  to  sleep,"  said  a  male  voice  very  gently,  almost  in  a 
whisper. 

Some  breathless  talk  went  on,  and  a  door  was  closed. 
Almost  immediately  1  either  lost  my  reason  again  or  fell 
into  a  profound  sleep — which  lasted,  I  was  afterward  told, 
twenty  hours — and  when  I  awoke,  I  discovered,  to  my  great 
delight,  that  I  could  move  my  head. 

Ijwas  lying  in  a  bunk  in  a  small  cabin  lighted  by  a  mid- 
dling-sized port-hole,  that  was  wide  open,  and  through 
which  a  strong  tide  of  warm  sweet  air  was  pouring.  A  cot 
swung  near  the  door,  and  I  noticed  not  only  the  rude  plain- 
ness of  the  interior,  but  the  thickness  of  the  bulkheads  and 
the  prodigious  strength  of  the  beams,  and  indeed  of  all  the 
timbers  and  fittings  my  eyes  rested  upon.  A  large  plain 
black  chest  stood  in  a  corner,  and  after  several  attempts  I 
made  out  the  white  marks  upon  the  lid  of  it  to  signify 
the  initials  "J.  G.  P."  A  military  cloak,  a  military  un- 
dress-jacket, and  oher  wearing  apparel  were  hung  upon 
hooks  against  the  bulkhead  near  the  door,  and  a  small 
pendant  lamp  was  affixed  to  a  stanchion  in  the  centre  of  the 
cabin. 

I  lay  dreamily  watching  these  things  as  they  swung  with 
the  roll  of  the  vessel,  languidly  wondering  where  I  was, 
but  without,  as  yet,  the  faintest  recollection  of  the  experi- 
ences I  had  gone  through  before  my  senses  quitted  me. 

I  had  been  awake  about  ten  minutes  when  the  door  was 
very  stealthily  opened;  a  precaution  that  rather  amused 
me,  considering  that  the  straining  sounds  in  the  cabin  were 
equal  to  the  creaking  of  a  hundred  rusty  hinges  all  worked 
at  once;  and  a  tall,  handsome,  soldierly  looking  man  in  a 
dark-blue  braided  tunic  and  white  nankeen  trousers  entered 
very  cautiously,  stopping  to  peer  at  me,  and  holding  on  to 


H.  M.  S.  SPEEDWELL.  417 

the  open  door  as  he  balanced  himself  to  the  movement  of 
the  ship. 

On  observing  me  to  be  lying  with  my  eyes  wide  open,  he 
carefully  closed  the  door,  advanced  to  the  side  of  the  bunk, 
and  asked  me  in  a  very  gentle  voice  how  I  felt. 

"Very  weak,  but  beyond  that  I  hardly  know,"  I  an- 
swered feebly,  looking  at  him  very  earnestly,  however,  for 
something  in  his  face — something  in  the  expression  of  his 
eyes — fixed  my  attention,  and  I  stared  at  him  like  one 
fascinated. 

He  was,  as  I  have  said,  an  extremely  handsome  man, 
his  features  high-bred,  his  forehead  lofty,  and  his  eyes 
dark  and  thoughtful ;  but  he  had  a  worn  and  suffering  look, 
his  cheeks  were  hollow,  his  complexion  an  ashen  gray,  and 
his  fingers  as  emaciated  as  those  of  a  consumptive  person. 

"You  have  had  a  long  sleep,''"  said  he,  "and  I  was  glad 
to  find  your  repose  so  sound,  for  the  surgeon  informs  me 
that  sleep  is  the  great  remedy  in  illnesses  of  this  descrip- 
tion.    I  will  go  and  tell  him  you  are  awake." 

He  was  moving  away. 

"Pray,  sir,  forgive  me,"  I  exclaimed.  "Your  voice  has 
broken  a  spell.  I  am  recalling  the  past  that  was  just  now 
as  blank  as  death.  I  had  escaped  with  a  young  lady  from 
a  burning  ship.  Ah!  I  have  it!  I  have  been  rescued — 
picked  up,  of  course — and  the  lady?  for  God's  sake  tell 
me  of  her,  sir!" 

My  eagerness  to  have  his  reply  was  so  great  that  I  suc- 
ceeded in  raising  myself  on  my  elbow,  but  I  was  too  weak 
to  maintain  that  posture,  and  fell  back  with  a  heavy  sigh. 

He  looked  at  me  doubtfully,  as  if  debating  whether  he 
should  answer  my  question ;  but  I  suppose  the  wistful  ex- 
pression in  my  eyes  was  too  strong  an  appeal  for  him  to 
resist,  for  he  came  back  to  my  side,  tenderly  raised  my 
hand  in  both  his,  and  answered : 

"  The  young  lady  is  safe,  Mr.  Madison — safe,  and,  thank 
God,  well ;  and  I  may  inform  you  that  she  is  on  board  this 

ship." 

"Pray  stay,  sir,"  I  exclaimed,  thinking  because  he  let 
fall  my  hand  that  he  was  going  away.     "  Your  answering 
a  few  questions  will  really  do  me  good.     How  long  was  the 
young  lady  in  the  boat?" 
27 


418  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

"  You  and  she  were  rescued  the  morning  after  the  Namur 
was  burnt,"  he  replied,  speaking  as  though  reluctant  to 
converse  with  me,  and  yet  not  liking  to  refuse. 

"And  I  was  ill  through  the  night,  I  fear.  Indeed,  I 
know  now  that  I  must  have  been  very  ill— insane,  perhaps 
with  delirium!  No  doubt  I  was,  and  0  my  God!  what 
sufferings  must  that  noble  girl  have  endured,  alone— alone 
in  a  boat  with  a  madman!  She  is  well,  do  you  say?  That 
is  welcome  news  to  me.  Had  ill  befallen  her  it  would  go 
desperately  hard  with  me  now,  indeed  it  would,  sir!"  and 
I  felt  the  hot  tears  swelling  into  my  eyes,  a  melancholy 
proof  of  the  weakness  both  of  my  mind  and  body. 

He  drew  a  chair  to  my  side,  being  sagacious  enough  to 
perceive  that  his  leaving  my  curiosity  unsatisfied  would  do 
me  more  harm  than  talking. 

"  You  will  also  be  glad  to  hear,"  he  said,  "that  the  boat 
containing  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Solomons  and  the  crew  of  the 
Namur  was  picked  up  by  this  ship.  Indeed,  we  sighted 
her  first,  and  it  was  owing  to  her  report  that  our  captain 
altered  his  course  to  seek  for  your  boat." 

"  So  no  lives  are  lost?" 

"None;  all  are  safe  in  this  ship." 

"What  ship  is  she,  may  I  ask?" 

"An  English  ship-rigged  sloop-of-war — the  Speedwell, 
homeward  bound  from  Kingston,  Jamaica,  with  invalided 
soldiers." 

"From  Kingston,  Jamaica?"  I  muttered,  looking  from 
him  to  the  initials  on  the  black  chest  in  the  corner.  "  May 
I  inquire  your  name,  sir?" 

He  gazed  at  me  curiously;  then  a  slight  smile  played 
over  his  worn  features. 

"My  name  is  Colonel  Palmer,"  he  answered. 

"  Yes — I  might  have  thought  so — she  has  your  expres- 
sion. This  is  a  most  wonderful  meeting.  How  strange 
are  Heaven's  ways!"  and  I  lay  looking  at  him  so  bewil- 
dered by  the  discovery  that  I  thought  I  was  falling  crazy 
again. 

"If  you  are  surprised,"  he  said  gently,  "you  may  con- 
ceive what  my  feelings  were  when,  on  our  coming  up  with 
the  boat,  I  saw  my  daughter  in  her!  It  is  an  old  story 
now,  and  I  can  talk  of  it  calmly.     You  are  aware  that  I 


H.  M.  S.  SPEEDWELL.  419 

had  no  idea  she  was  coining  out  to  join  me,  and  even  when 
I  had  her  in  my  arms  I  could  not  credit  the  reality  of  our 
most  astonishing,  and,  I  may  truly  say,  God-guided  meet- 
ing." 

"  You  speak  of  it  as  an  old  story.     How  old  might  it  be?" 

"  It  will  be  ten  days  to-morrow  since  Ave  picked  up  the 
Naniur's  boats." 

"And  where  have  I  been  all  this  while?" 

"Here,  in  my  cabin,  Mr.  Madison,  upon  that  bed  in 
which  you  are  now  lying." 

"God  preserve  us!"  said  I. 

I  had  thought  we  had  been  rescued  that  morning.  * 

" Ten  days!"  I  went  on :  " is  it  possible  that  I  have  been 
without  my  mind  all  that  time?  This  is  knowing  what 
death  is,  sir:  and  what  fools  men  are  to  let  it  frighten 
them!" 

I  closed  my  eyes,  for  my  brain  was  beginning  to  simmer 
again :  and  shutting  my  eyelids  seemed  like  clapping  roll- 
ing-tackles on  to  my  wits. 

He  rose  from  his  chair,  and  said  he  must  go  tell  the  sur- 
geon I  was  awake.  I  had  a  thousand  more  questions  to 
ask  him,  but  he  would  not  stay.  However,  he  had  left  me 
enough,  in  all  conscience,  to  chew  upon ;  and  bit  by  bit  I 
got  all  the  points  together,  until  the  whole  story  lay  clear 
in  my  mind. 

Astounded  as  I  was  by  the  coincidence  of  the  meeting 
between  Colonel  Palmer  and  Madeline,  I  made  a  greater 
wonder  of  my  long  unconsciousness.  It  stirred  the  hair 
upon  my  head  to  consider  that  to  all  intents  and  purposes 
I  had  been  dead — not  even  a  ghost,  but  a  corpse — for  nine 
days.  I  tried  to  sit  up  to  assure  myself  that  my  body  was 
as  much  alive  as  my  mind,  but  could  not  manage  it,  though 
the  plunge  I  gave  in  the  effort  was  tolerably  reassuring. 

About  ten  minutes  after  Colonel  Palmer  had  left  me,  the 
door  of  the  cabin  was  boisterously  flung  open,  and  in 
walked  a  short,  thick-set,  bow-legged,  and  wall-eyed  man ; 
his  busy,  bustling,  bouncing  movements,  the  hard,  blunt 
expression  on  his  face,  the  square,  heavy  hands,  with  red 
knuckles  and  red  finger-points — bah!  this  sketching  grows 
fantastic;  besides,  if  the  men  were  no  better  he  was  no 
worse  than  the  average  of  the  leather-headed  butchers — 


420  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

ill-paid,  half-educated,  and  superlatively  coarse-fibred — 
who  operated  on  the  wounded  lieges  in  his  Britannic  Maj- 
esty's cockpits  in  those  times. 

"Hallo!"  he  sung  out;  "awake  at  last,  my  man,  are 
you?  After  such  a  spell  of  rest,  by  Jupiter,  you  should 
be  able  to  keep  late  hours  for  the  rest  of  your  natural  days!" 

He  broke  into  a  loud  laugh,  that  earned  him  an  indig- 
nant scowl  from  the  colonel,  who  towered  behind  him. 

"Well,  how  do  you  feel  now?" 

I  told  him,  and  then  he  felt  my  pulse,  and  put  his  great 
hand,  that  felt  like  a  warm  beefsteak  on  my  forehead,  and 
said  to  Colonel  Palmer: 

"  He'll  do,  sir.  He  wants  no  physic — rest  and  time  are 
the  only  medicines  for  him.     Are  you  hungry?" 

"Yes,"  said  I,  "I  am  hungry." 

He  winked  at  the  colonel,  and  broke  into  another  guffaw. 

"Ah!"  said  he,  "we  naval  men  pretty  well  know  what 
a  privateersman's  maw  is.  However,  you  must  belay  your 
professional  instincts  until  you  are  stronger.  Hearty  eat- 
ing won't  suit  a  stomach  that's  been  empty  nearly  a  fort- 
night. The  steward  shall  bring  you  a  basin  of  broth 
presently." 

He  was  going,  but  the  colonel  stopped  him  and  whis- 
pered a  question. 

"Why,  yes,"  answered  the  surgeon  loudly,  "It'll  do  him 
good,  sir.  He's  had  his  sleep,  and  promised  well.  But  he 
ought  to  get  shaved  first." 

And  with  another  noisy  laugh  he  bounced  out  hurriedly, 
leaving  a  dull  flavor  of  rum  in  the  air,  though,  mercifully 
for  me,  it  was  quickly  dispelled  by  the  glorious  rush  of 
wind  through  the  port-hole." 

"I  hope  you  will  not  let  that  man's  manner  vex  you, 
Mr.  Madison,"  said  the  colonel. 

I  smiled,  and  begged  him  to  believe  that,  low  as  my 
nerves  were,  they  were  strong  enough  to  support  the  sur- 
geon's voice,  and  even  his  face. 

"I  whispered  to  him  to  tell  me,"  he  continued,  with  a 
fatherly  kindness  in  his  manner  of  addressing  me,  "  whether 
there  would  be  any  indiscretion  in  my  daughter's  seeing 
you.  He  said — but  of  course  you  heard  his  answer.  Mad- 
eline is  anxious  to  thank  you  for  your  devoted  conduct  to 


H.   M.  S.  SPEEDWELL.  421 

her  when  the  fire  broke  out  in  the  Nainur.  She  has 
watched  by  your  side  very  constantly  during  your  illness," 
he  added,  with  a  smile,  "  and  it  is  reasonable  enough  that 
she  should  wish  to  be  one  of  the  first  to  congratulate  you 
on  the  happy  turn  your  malady  has  taken." 

There  must  have  been  a  wonderful  magic  in  the  name  of 
Madeline  to  stir  the  blood  of  a  man  so  prostrated  as  I  was, 
yet  before  the  colonel  had  done  speaking  I  felt  my  face 
uncomfortably  hot. 

"  It  will  be  a  happiness  I  should  not  have  liked.Jio  ask 
for,"  said  I. 

Without  another  word  he  left  the  cabin,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  returned,  and  held  open  the  door  to  let  his  daugh- 
ter enter. 

There  was  a  little  hesitation  in  her  walk,  but  none  in  her 
manner  when  she  took  my  hand.  She  may  have  rehearsed 
a  speech,  she  may  have  schooled  herself  to  meet  me  calmly ; 
but  our  glance  meeting,  the  greeting  faded  upon  her  lips, 
the  tears  gushed  into  her  eyes — we  looked  at  one  another 
without  speaking. 

The  colonel  walked  to  the  open  port-hole  and  stood  star- 
ing out  of  it  with  his  back  upon  us. 

She  was  the  first  to  break  the  silence. 

"I  have  been  waiting  a  long  while  for  this,"  she  whis- 
pered. "  You  have  been  insensible  ever  since  that  dread- 
ful night." 

"Yes,  your  father  told  me  so;  but  I  am  sensible  enough 
now,  thank  God,"  said  I,  speaking  feebly,  but  noting  her 
well,  and  observing  that  she  looked  in  good  health,  some- 
what pale,  indeed,  and  a  trifle  dark  under  the  eyes,  but 
cheerful,  and  gentle,  and  beautiful.  "Next  to  my  having 
been  dead  for  all  this  while,  the  most  astonishing  part  of 
our  adventure,  to  me,  is  this  meeting  of  yours  with  your 
father.  I  know  by  the  amazement  in  my  soul,  that  if  I 
was  stronger  my  demonstrations  of  wonder  would  be  terri- 
fying." 

"We  have  much  to  talk  about,"  said  she,  "but  I  prom- 
ised papa  that  I  would  only  say  a  few  words  and  go.  To- 
morrow you  will  be  better  able  to  converse." 

"  I  can't  let  you  leave  me  yet!"  I  exclaimed,  holding  her 
hand.     "I   know  you  have  nursed  me  through  this   ill- 


422  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

ness "     Here  I  tried  to  press  her  hand  to  my  lips.     I 

was  too  weak  to  raise  it,  but  she  helped  me,  and  so  I  got 
the  kiss ;  "  and  that  you  nursed  me  in  the  boat " 

"Do  not  speak  of  that  now." 

"And  I  dare  not  yet  trust  myself  to  think  of  the  terrible 
night  you  must  have  passed  alone  with  a  raving  mad- 
man  " 

"  I  ask  you  not  to  speak  of  it  now,"  she  pleaded. 

Between  us  I  kissed  her  hand  again. 

"  I  should  know  better  how  to  thank  you,  and  even  to 
talk  to  you,  if,  before  we  say  another  word,  you  will  renew 
your  permission  to  me  to  call  you  Madeline." 

"Do  you  remember  that?"  she  asked,  with  just  the 
shadow  of  one  of  her  coquettish  smiles  hovering  on  her  lips. 

"Indeed  I  do.  I  remember  calling  you  Madeline;  and 
telling  you,"  I  said,  toying  with  her  little  hand,  but  keep- 
ing my  eyes  on  her  face,  "  that  I  loved  you" — I  said  this, 
squeezing  her  fingers  as  tightly  as  my  strength  would  per- 
mit, and  speaking  in  a  whisper  that  obliged  her  to  stoop 
her  head  to  my  face  to  hear  me. 

Witness  in  this  the  power  and  the  philosophy  of  impulse. 
A  moment  before  she  entered  the  room  I  had  no  more  idea 
of  making  my  first  accost  a  love-address  than  I  had  of 
standing  on  my  head.  One  glance  of  her  bland  and  beau- 
tiful eyes  awoke  with  its  light  the  memory  of  my  delirious 
love-speech  in  the  boat  and  the  kiss  she  had  given  me.  I 
could  not  call  her  Miss  Palmer  after  I  had  called  her  Mad- 
eline— I  could  not  renew  my  claim  to  call  her  Madeline 
without  recurring  to  my  love-speech  and  her  kiss.  Out  of 
my  heart,  like  an  owl  out  of  a  hole,  flew  the  awakened 
memory  with  a  clumsy  flapping  and  a  wild  gyration. 

"  I  remember  calling  you  Madeline — I  remember  that 
and  more.  One  precious  word  from  you  now— nay,  why 
not  now  ?  I  shall  never  be  saner — and  you  alone  can  give 
me  the  happiness  that  makes  strength  and  health.  While 
your  hand  is  in  mine,  one  precious  word!  Madeline,  may 
I  call  you  by  that  name? — and  say  again,  as  I  said  when 
we  were  alone  on  the  wide  midnight  sea,  and  when  I  be- 
lieved the  hand  of  death  upon  me — 1  love  you  !  " 

Heavens!  when  I  look  back  and  think  of  myself  lying 
black-bearded   and-  sallow  and   gaunt  in  that  bunk,    and 


•'  I   have  been  waiting  a  long  while  for  this,"  she  whispered. 

—Page  421. 


H.  M.  S.  SPEEDWELL.  423 

mouthing  in  anything  but  a  melodious  voice,  God  knows, 
the  twopenny  rant  that  passion  will  wag  out  of  the  most 
prosaic  tongue,  I  can  only  wonder  that  she  looked  at  me 
without  laughing. 

Instead,  she  drooped  her  sweet  face  over  mine,  and  I 
saw  a  smile — not  derisive,  my  friend — trembling  among 
the  tears  which  sparkled  upon  the  long  lashes. 

"I  wish  to  make  you  happy,"  said  she. 

A  single  word  from  me  would  have  spoiled  it. 

The  colonel  looked  around. 

"  Madcby,  my  love,  this  first  visit  was  to  be  a  short  one, 
you  know." 

"Not  for  my  sake,  Colonel  Palmer,"  said  I.  "You  can 
judge  by  my  voice  what  it  is  doing  for  me." 

"It  is  certainly  clearer.     Who's  there?" 

The  steward  in  a  camlet  jacket,  and  burlesquing  Atlas 
by  carrying  his  globe  under  his  waistcoat  instead  of  on  his 
shoulders — in  all  my  life  I  never  beheld  so  orbicular  a 
belly — his  nose  a  fiery  pimple,  and  his  left  cheek  hand- 
somely engraved  with  a  broad  scrofulous  scar,  rolled  into 
the  cabin,  bearing  a  basin  of  broth  and  a  jug  of  water,  in 
which  floated  a  small  squadron  of  cut-up  lemons. 

Madeline  took  the  tray  from  him,  propped  my  head  with 
a  pillow,  and  fed  me.  No  doubt  by  trying  I  might  have 
made  shift  to  feed  myself;  but  it  was  pleasant  to  be  fed  by 
Madeline ;  and  had  I  been  a  street  artist,  I  could  not  have 
composed  my  arms  in  a  more  helpless  attitude  upon  the 
coverlet. 

"That  will  do  you  good,  Mr.  Madison,"  said  the  colonel, 
watching  the  operation  with  great  interest. 

I  dodged  the  spoon  to  say,  "  I  am  overpowered  by  your 
daughter's  goodness,  sir." 

"  She  is  equally  obliged  to  you.  Your  first  thought  was 
for  her  when  the  fire  broke  out,  Mr.  Madison." 

"But  nothing  that  I  tried  to  do  or  could  do,"  said  I, 
again  dodging  the  spoon  that  had  grown  suddenly  jerky 
and  sloppy,  "  could  compensate  her  for  the  alarm  and  mis- 
ery my  delirium  in  the  boat " 

But  a  dexterous  pop  of  the  spoon  now  closed  my  mouth. 

A  long  night's  rest  greatly  invigorated  me:   I  slept  from 


424  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

eight  in  the  evening  until  nine  in  the  morning,  and  when  I 
awoke  I  sat  up  in  my  bunk,  and  cast  my  eyes  around  for 
my  clothes  j  had  I  seen  them,  I  should  have  dressed  my- 
self. 

My  first  visitor  was  the  wall-eyed  surgeon,  who,  after 
telling  me  I  was  very  much  better,  prohibited  me  from 
rising,  so  I  pinniped  my  head  into  the  pillow  again,  and  lay 
quiet  and  full  of  thought  for  about  half  an  hour,  at  the  end 
of  which  time  the  steward  entered  with  another  dose  of  the 
broth  I  had  swallowed  on  the  previous  day ;  aud  he  was  no 
sooner  gone  than  Madeline  came  in. 

I  looked,  suspecting  her  father  was  behind  her;  but  she 
was  alone. 

There  was  a  freshness  and  sweetness  of  complexion, 
manner,  smile,  in  this  girl  that  gave  the  same  sort  of  pleas- 
ure to  every  sense  in  a  man  that  the  fragrance  of  a  flower 
gives  to  the  sense  of  smell.  The  brown,  plain,  sturdy  solid 
cabin  in  which  I  lay  took  from  her  presence  such  a  light 
and  perfume  as  one  could  only  imagine  it  receiving  from 
the  flash  of  sunshine  upon  white  roses  and  gleaming  lilies. 

There  are  some  women  who  waft  a  sweet  and  subtle  odor 
through  the  air  with  every  wave  of  the  hand,  with  every 
movement  of  the  head,  with  every  sweep  of  the  dress.  It 
is  not  a  perfumer's  fragrance;  it  was  never  contained  in  a 
bottle  or  a  powder-box.  Whether  it  is  peculiar  to  certain 
types  of  beauty — most  auburn-haired  girls  have  it.  I  have 
found — whether  it  is  a  blessing  bestowed  by  Nature  upon 
such  of  her  creatures  as  delight  her  eyes;  whether  it  is 
peculiar  to  certain  complexions;  whether  it  emanates  from 
sweetness  of  disposition,  or  is  purely  a  physical  quality,  I 
have  never  yet  had  the  leisure  to  very  carefully  consider; 
perhaps  the  subject  has  been  already  treated.  Anyway, 
no  girl  that  ever  I  met  had  this  gift  of  fragrance  in  greater 
perfection  than  Madeline  Palmer.  As  she  leaned  her  face 
forward  to  wish  me  good-morning,  it  was  like  holding  a 
bouquet  to  my  nose. 

"  I  have  seen  Mr.  Cutler"  (the  surgeon),  said  she,  "  and 
he  says  you  are  much  better.  But  you  are  not  to  get  up, 
and  you  will  require  nursing  for  some  time  longer." 

So  saying  she  put  my  broth  before  me. 

"I  shan't  want  to  get  up,"  said  I,  working  at  the  broth, 


H.  M.  S.  SPEEDWELL.  425 

"  while  you  are  within  hail,  Madeline.     Does  your  father 
know  that  I  am  in  love  with  you,  dear?" 

"  Why,  yes — he  did  not  require  to  be  told,  but  I  did  tell 
him,"  says  she  quite  simply. 

"  But  how  could  he  guess  what  my  feelings  were  when  I 
was  without  my  senses,  Madeline?"  said  I,  stirring  the 
broth  to  cool  it. 

"  Why,  Julian,  are  you  sure  that  all  your  wits  have  re- 
turned to  their  home,  that  you  ask  me  such  a  silly  ques- 
tion? Didn't  he  see  me  nursing  you,  you  foolish  child? 
And  do  you  suppose  that  I  attended  to  you  like  a  hired 
nurse  so  that  no  trace  of  what  was  in  my  heart  was  visible 
in  my  face?"  and  her  rich  contralto  laugh  rang  like  a  fine 
melody  through  the  cabin. 

"  Deuce  take  this  broth !  I  have  burnt  my  mouth.  Hand 
me  that  lemon-water,  like  a  darling.  Well,  do  you  know  I 
am  a  fool  to  ask  such  a  question.  But  what  does  he  think 
of  it  all?" 

"He  is  quite  satisfied;  besides,"  said  she,  fixing  her  lus- 
trous, honest  eyes  full  on  me,  "he  knows  I  would  accept 
only  the  love  of  a  man  whom  I  could  trust  and  be  happy 
with,  and  when  I  told  him  I  was  silly  enough  to  feel  that 
it  would  make  me  unhappy  to  lose  you — why,  I'm  sure  I 
don't  know"  (a  sigh),  "he  kissed  me,  and  no  more  was 
said." 

"Madeline,"  said  I,  looking  over  my  spoon  at  her — three 
spoons  in  a  line! — "I  never  thought  it  would  come  to  this. 
I  never  dreamt  that  I  should  have  the  luck  to  win  you.  I 
am  dreadfully  happy,  my  precious  one!  Who  the  deuce 
am  I  that  such  a  glorious  gift  as  you  should  come  to  me?" 

"Eat  your  broth,  and  don't  disparage  yourself.  I  am 
tolerably  well  satisfied  with  you,  so  don't  try  to  weaken 
my  good  impressions,"  said  she,  with  one  of  her  sly  glances. 

"How  are  the  Soiomonses?" 

"Quite  well,  and  so  are  all  the  men.  Parell  has  been 
very  anxious  about  you,  poor  fellow,  and  begged  leave  to 
watch  by  your  side ;  but  I  did  not  intend  to  give  up  my 
place.  You  will  be  sorry  to  hear,  however,  that  the  whole 
of  the  men  have  been  impressed  by  the  captain  of  this  ship, 
and  have  become  men-of-wars-men." 

"Parell  too?" 


426  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

She  nodded. 

This  did  vex  me  very  much;  so  much  so  that  I  could 
not  hardly  speak  for  some  minutes.  But  there  was  no 
help  for  it,  though  I  considered  that  impressment  was  a 
barbarous  usage  to  give  to  shipwrecked  men.  She  watched 
my  face,  and  changed  the  subject  by  telling  me  that  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Solomons  had  been  very  kind  in  their  inquiries 
after  me;  but  it  had  cost  her  several  long  arguments  to 
convince  them  that  I  was  not  actuated  by  any  indifference 
to  the  value  of  their  lives  because  I  jumped  overboard  when 
I  saw  the  gig  adrift.  She  added  that  Mr.  Solomons  was 
exceedingly  mortified  and  disgusted  to  find  himself  carried 
back  to  England  after  the  arduous  and  tragical  experiences 
he  had  passed  through  in  his  effort  to  reach  Jamaica;  and 
her  description  of  the  old  man's  rage  with  Captain  Lomax 
(who  commanded  the  sloop)  when  he,  the  captain,  angrily 
refused  to  return  to  Kingston,  made  me  laugh  so  heartily 
as  to  pretty  well  clear  out  of  my  mind  the  annoyance  caused 
me  by  the  impressment  of  my  men. 

She  then  spoke  to  me  of  her  father,  and,  with  much  con- 
cern, of  his  health,  that  had  at  last  compelled  him  to  in- 
valid himself  and  return  to  England ;  and  gave  me  the  full 
particulars  of  their  meeting,  her  amazement  when  he  rushed 
forward  to  receive  her  on  her  being  handed  over  the  side  of 
the  sloop,  and  his  blank  bewilderment  at  finding  her — of 
all  places  in  the  world — in  a  small  open  boat  at  sea,  when 
he  had  not  the  least  doubt  but  that  she  was  with  her  aunt 
in  his  house  near  Canterbury. 

She  also  described  the  night  she  had  passed  with  me  in 
the  boat :  how  she  had  had  one  dreadful  struggle  with  me 
to  prevent  me  from  throwing  myself  overboard ;  how  we 
had  nearly  upset  the  boat  between  us  in  the  frantic  wres- 
tle ;  and  how  nothing  saved  me — "  for  you  had  the  strength 
of  a  giant,  Julian,"  said  she — but  my  tumbling  backward 
over  a  thwart  and  falling  into  the  bottom  of  the  boat;  and 
how  she  had  taken  the  boat's  painter  (of  course  she  did  not 
talk  of  "painters"  and  "thwarts,"  but  I  prefer  to  tell  her 
story  in  my  own  tongue)  and  secured  my  arms  and  legs 
with  it. 

"Ma}r  Heaven  bless  you  for  your  noble  pluck!"  I  cried, 
breaking  into  her  story  out  of  the  fulness    of  my  heart; 


H.  M.  S.  SPEEDWELL.  427 

"and  for  your  devotion  to  a  man  who  has  caused  you  so 
much  misery." 

She  silenced  me  by  clapping  her  hand  over  my  mouth, 
and  proceeded  to  relate  how  she  sat  watching  all  through 
that  terrible  night,  praying  for  strength  and  courage  and 
for  the  help  that  came  at  last. 

"  I  never  knew  what  the  horror  of  loneliness  was  before," 
said  she.  "  It  is  past,  and  I  can  speak  of  it  calmly ;  yet  I 
know  that  my  whole  life  will  be  haunted  by  the  memory  of 
that  dark  sea  and  the  frightful  solitude  of  it,  and  of  your 
moans  and  cries  as  you  lay  bound,  and  the  burning  ship 
whose  image  was  in  my  eyes  turn  them  where  I  would,  so 
that  the  spectre  of  it,  as  it  were,  was  constantly  before  me, 
until  the  sun  rose  and  showed  me  this  ship,  like  a  tiny 
cloud,  a  long,  long  way  off." 

"  It  is  past,  as  you  say,  Madeline ;  and  having  given  us 
the  love  that  we  have  exchanged,  let  the  knowledge  that  it 
has  left  us  happier  than  it  found  us  make  us  think  gener- 
ously of  that  bitter  time." 

I  drew  her  toward  me  in  a  passion  of  love  and  gratitude 
— as  who  will  not  understand  in  me  that  will  but  consider 
how  I  had  made  this  girl  suffer;  how  beautiful  had  been 
her  courage;  how  faithful  the  affection  it  had  been  my  un- 
exampled fortune  to  excite  in  her  pure,  gentle  and  heroic 
heart? — and  kissed  her  with  my  arm  round  her  neck;  and 
she  had  barely  time  to  release  herself,  blushing  and  some- 
what disconcerted  by  the  ardency  of  my  embrace,  when  her 
father  walked  in. 

"Now,"  thought  I.  "I'll  plump  my  thoughts  into  him 
at  once.     The  sooner  we  clear  up  and  coil  down  the  better." 

He  shook  my  hand  with  great  cordiality,  and  expressed 
himself  heartily  rejoiced  to  observe  the  marked  improve- 
ment in  my  appearance  ("  Nothing  like  kissing  to  clear  the 
complexion,"  said  I  to  myself) ;  and  I  glanced  at  Madeline, 
who  immediately  arose  and  left  the  cabin,  mistaking  the 
look  I  gave  her,  as  she  afterward  admitted,  as  a  hint  that  I 
wished  to  speak  to  her  father  alone. 

I  immediately  opened  upon  him. 

"  Colonel  Palmer, "  said  I,  "  with  your  permission,  I 
should  be  glad  to  have  a  few  words  with  you  on  the  subject 
of  your  daughter." 


428         AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

He  smiled,  and  with  much  kindness  in  his  voice,  said : 

"  There  is  no  occasion  to  approach  the  subject  with  for- 
mality, Madison.  I  find  you  and  her  attached  to  each 
other,  and  I  am  quite  content  that  it  should  be  so.  You 
have  been  associated  in  a  singular  misfortune,  and  your 
devotion  in  making  her  the  first  object  of  your  care,  and 
hers  in  protecting  you  against  your  own  violence  in  the 
boat,  are  fitly  rewarded  by  your  common  affection.  You 
will  also  see  that  her  name,  in  consequence  of  the  burning 
of  the  Namur,  is  particularly  identified  with  yours— in 
such  a  way,  indeed,  that  I  will  say  your  wish  to  make  her 
your  wife  exactly  accords  with  my  desire." 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  hear  that,  colonel,  and  thank  you  for 
your  candor.  As  I  have  some  reason  to  believe  Madeline 
was  not  indifferent  to  me  before  she  and  I  went  adrift  in 
the  gig,  no  excuse  can  be  made  for  supposing  that  my  good 
fortune  in  winning  the  dear  girl  is  entirely  due  to  our  hav- 
ing been  alone  in  an  open  boat." 

"  Certainly  not, "  he  answered  earnestly,  and  yet  amused 
by  my  plainness,  too ;  "  her  happiness  is  my  chief  con- 
sideration. I  know  she  is  attached  to  you ;  still  it  is  fit 
and  even  honorable  that  I  should  give  you  one  of  my  rea- 
sons for  readily  acquiescing  in  her  engagement  to  a  gentle- 
man who,  down  to  yesterday  morning,  had  never  set  eyes 
on  me,  and  whose  character  I  could  only  admire  in  Made- 
line's stories  about  him." 

"  Well,  we  are  not  arrived  in  England  yet,  Colonel  Pal- 
mer. I  hope  you'll  get  to  know  me  better  before  the  old 
home  is  hove  up." 

"  Why,  I  may  say  I  know  you  very  well  already, "  he 
answered ;  "  but,  as  you  suggest,  we  have  four  or  five  weeks 
before  us  in  which  to  improve  our  knowledge  of  each 
other." 

"With  regard,"  said  I,  wishing  to  heaven  I  was  dressed 
— for  lying  in  a  ship's  bunk,  habited  I  knew  not  in  whose 
bedgown,  my  manly  figure  (the  best  part  of  me)  concealed 
by  the  bedclothes,  incapable  of  making  a  bow,  and  a  little 
too  weak  to  help  out  my  words  by  the  graces  of  my  hands 
—  I  was,  as  you  see,  cruelly  disadvantaged  and  made  even 
more  insignificant  in  my  own  esteem  than  was  fair  to  my 
gift  of  the  gab,  by  the  towering,  well-bred,  well-dressed, 


H.  M.  S.  SPEEDWELL.  420 

dignified  colonel- — "  with  regard,   colonel,   to  my   position 
and  prospects " 

"We  will  discuss  these  subjects  another  time,"  said 
he. 

"  Still,  I  should  like  to  say " 

"  My  dear  friend,  there  is  no  occasion  whatever  to  dis- 
cuss your  prospects  and  position  with  me  now,  or  at  any 
other  time,  though  I  give  you  full  permission  to  talk  about 
them  with  Madeline  as  long  as  you  choose.  For  myself,  I 
will  take  advantage  of  this  chat,  that  must  be  cut  short  for 
your  health's  sake,  to  tell  you  that  I  am  a  widower,  which, 
however,  I  believe  you  know,  and  that  Madeline  is  my  only 
child.  I  am  afraid,  indeed  I  am  sure,  my  health  will 
oblige  me  to  quit  the  army,  and  as  you  would  not  have  me 
companionless  during  the  rest  of  my  days,  I  will  merely 
stipulate,  as  a  return  for  the  gift  of  my  child,  that  you  and 
she  live  with  me — that  is,  of  course,  if  you  abandon  the 
sea,  which  I  believe,"  said  he  with  a  smile,  "  she  will  insist 
upon  your  doing.  My  house  at  Canterbury  would  be  un- 
inhabitable to  me  without  Madeline,  and  as  I  cannot  be  a 
mother-in-law,  Madison,  you  will  have  nothing  to  fear 
from  my  interference  in  your  domestic  affairs." 

"Your  programme,  my  dear  sir,  is  an  overpoweringly 
liberal  one;  but  such  one-sided " 

He  would  not  hear  me. 

"All  that  need  be  said  at  present  has  been  said,"  he  ex- 
claimed. "  We  have  several  weeks  before  us  to  discuss  any 
other  points  which  may  arise." 

I  was  so  far  recovered  on  the  fifth  day,  dating  from 
restoration  to  consciousness,  that  the  surgeon  gave  me  leave 
to  dress  and  take  the  air  on  deck  for  a  couple  of  hours.  As 
yet  I  had  seen  no  other  faces  than  Madeline's  and  her 
father's,  and  Cutler's,  so  that  it  was  really  like  rising  from 
the  tomb  to  go  upon  the  bree7.y  brilliant  deck  of  the  sloop, 
and  find  myself  among  sailors  again. 

It  was  known  among  the  officers  that  Madeline  and  I 
were  betrothed — I  knew  afterward  that  the  colonel  had 
propagated  the  news — he  was  mighty  sensitive  on  the  sub- 
ject of  that  open  boat,  and  reported  that  his  daughter  and 
I  were  engaged  before  the  Namur  caught  fire — and  there- 


430  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

fore  nobody  was  surprised  to  find  her  busily  preparing  an 
arm-chair  with  cushions  for  my  reception,  in  the  shadow  of 
the  mizzenmast,  round  which  the  cool  wind  blew  refresh- 
ingly. Captain  Lomax,  a  stiff-backed  old  fellow,  greeted 
me  with  a  pompous  shake  of  the  hand  and  a  gruff  congratu- 
lation on  my  recovery,  and  I  was  very  civilly  received  by 
the  first  lieutenant,  a  young  and  delicate-looking  man,  a 
thorough  gentleman,  between  whom  and  myself  there 
sprung  up  during  the  voyage  a  friendship  that  terminated 
only  with  his  death  a  few  years  ago. 

I  had  scarcely  seated  myself,  and  Madeline  had  got  the 
pillow  at  the  back  of  my  head  in  a  ship-shape  posture, 
when  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Solomons  came  up  to  me.  I  know  not 
from  what  part  of  the  deck  they  emerged;  I  had  not 
noticed  them  when  I  arrived. 

Mr.  Solomons  shook  my  hand  rather  slowly,  but  his  wife 
was  somewhat  demonstrative. 

"Bless  my  heart!"  cried  she,  "I  thought  to  find  you 
skin  and  bone.  To  hear  Miss  Palmer  talk,  one  would  have 
swore  you  had  fallen  into  a  mere  skiliton.  YVell,  and  how 
are  you,  mister?  You  don't  ask  how  I  am  after  the  fright 
of  the  fire  and  your  leaving  of  us  to  swim  to  your  lady,  not 
caring,  I  dare  say,  if  Mr.  Solomons  and  me  became  cinders 
so  long  as  the  sweets  was  saved.  But  I  bear  no  malice, 
sir,  and  now  that  it's  all  over,  I'm  not  for  saying  you 
didn't  show  a  proper  feeling  in  jumping  overboard  after 
Miss  Palmer.  It's  more  than  Jonas  would  have  done  for 
me." 

"I'm  glad  to  see  you  pretty  middling,"  said  Jonas.  "I 
can't  pretend  Vm  the  thing,  whatever  my  looks  may  thay. 
Fancy  my  being  taken  back  to  England  again,  after  being 
almost  within  sight  of  Jamaica,  and  suffering  from  pirates 
and  fire!  And  my  goods!  I  suppose  you  know  I  was  only 
insured  for  two-thirds." 

"I  am  sorry  to  hear  that,"  said  I;  "but  two-thirds  are 
better  than  nothing,  and  you'd  have  got  nothing  had  the 
Yankees  walked  off  with  the  Namur." 

"There's  Parell  trying  to  catch  your  eye,  Julian,"  whis- 
pered Madeline. 

I  looked,  and  saw  the  honest  fellow  upon  the  booms  for- 
ward,   figged  out  in  man-of-wars-man's  rig.     He  grinned 


H.  M    S.  SPEEDWELL.  431 

and  touched  his  hat,  and  pointed  significantly  to  his  garb, 
and  would  probably  have  expressed  his  feelings  in  further 
dumb-show,  had  not  the  captain  slewed  round  in  his  walk 
along  the  quarter-deck,  whereupon  Parell  toppled  off  the 
booms  and  vanished. 

Finding  me  indisposed  to  talk,  Mr.  Solomons  left  me 
after  a  further  bewailment  of  his  misfortune  in  being 
forced  back  to  England,  and  was  followed  by  his  wife;  and 
with  Madeline  at  my  side,  and  her  father  within  earshot 
behind  us.  reading  a  book,  I  lay  back  on  my  pillow,  sur- 
veying with  a  sailor's  delight,  and  with  every  sense  in  me 
exquisitely  relishing,  the  sunshine  and  the  breeze,  the  beau- 
tiful spectacle  of  the  British  sloop's  decks  holystoned 
unto  the  very  complexion  of  snow,  blackened  at  regular 
distances  with  the  bronze-colored  shadows  of  the  heavy 
guns,  with  the  brass-work  flashing  out  red  beams  as  the 
vessel  rolled  with  a  stately  movement  over  the  long  swell 
that  underran  the  blue  and  frothing  surface  of  the  windy, 
sparkling  sea;  while  the  forecastle  was  colored  with  the 
uniforms  of  groups  of  soldiers,  and  the  heavy,  wide-spread 
shrouds,  soaring  like  bars  of  iron  from  the  white  line  of  the 
hammock-cloths,  led  the  eye  to  the  proud  and  swelling 
canvas,  which  floated  like  piles  of  vapor  against  the  heav- 
enly blue  of  the  sky. 

1  turned  my  eyes  from  tne  soft  white  of  the  towering 
sails  to  Madeline.      She  was  looking  at  me. 

"  Already  there  is  a  little  color  in  your  cheeks,  Julian," 
said  she.  "  Your  heart  is  with  ships,  I  fear — there  is  no 
room  for  me." 

"My  heart  is  full  of  you,  Maddy.  Don't  question  that 
truth,  even  in  play.  If  my  eyes  are  brightened  by  the  sight 
of  this  ship,  it  is  because  she  is  showing  by  her  pace  that 
her  instincts  are  sound,  and  that  we  have  her  sympathy. 
Every  minute  of  this  sailing  carries  us  nearer  home;  and 
home  means  so  much  to  me  now,  dearest,  that  this  speed- 
ing vessel  delights  me  with  a  significance  no  other  ship  ever 
yet  yielded,  and  the  very  song  of  the  foam  as  it  rushes  past 
has  such  a  meaning  in  my  ear  as  any  man  would  think  me 
moonstruck  to  find  in  it." 

"I  believe  you,  dear;  but  don't  ever  let  your  poetical 
fancies  make  you  forget  or  regret  your  promise  to  hie  that 


432  AN  OCEAN  FREE  LANCE. 

you  will  give  up  the  sea  for  good  as  a  profession  when  we 
are  married." 

"Trust  me,"  said  I.  And  will  any  bluejacket  doubt 
that  of  all  the  promises  a  sailor  could  be  warranted  to  keep, 
the  promise  of  never  going  to  sea  again  would  be  the  very 
easiest? 


THE  END. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

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